


The Soldiers Redemption

by Maiihemm



Series: The Soldier [2]
Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 17:01:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 48,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19177600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiihemm/pseuds/Maiihemm
Summary: This is the second part of The Soldier series. Please read Part One before reading this or none of it will make sense!





	1. Chapter 1

She was sure that most people didn't find working on vehicles relaxing. In fact, she knew that everyone else she worked with had quite the temper when something didn't go right. How could she tell? Well currently Happy and Tig were yelling at each other about the engine not fitting in correctly.

She couldn't help but laugh. This is almost exactly what was going on two years ago when she showed up at TM Auto looking for a job after she was medically retired from the Army. She had shown them what to do and secured herself a job here, though with the way Chibs had looked at her since day one she wasn't sure he would have turned her away. Eventually they had learned more about her and offered her a spot in the Sons of Anarchy.

She had everything she wanted. She felt a family connection she didn't even think existed. She had fallen in love with a beautiful brunette named Sarah who she was sure was going to be around forever. Things were falling into place. She felt at home. She felt complete.

To say that her pasts haunts her in an understatement.

In the matter of a few months she lost Sarah, made some really bad choices which included getting pregnant by Happy, killed over half of a rival MC and was almost killed by a very violent ghost from her past.

She went through hell to work through everything and it had been six months since some rouge prior Mayans came in and shot up the clubhouse. Happy and her were lucky to be alive but the situation was taken care of very quickly. Though Happy wore the Sargent in Arms patch, Riley was also an enforcer. Tig and Chibs made it very clear it was nice to have two people willing to do all the messed up shit, especially when the two were in sync together. They were so proficient in what they did they didn't even need to verbally communicate.

Not only had it been six months since the clubhouse had been shot up, it had been almost as long since Chibs had went to visit Ireland. His wife Fiona had been killed and he went to try to convince his daughter to move to the states. Riley had offered to go with since they were sort of together but he didn't think it was safe for the IRA to know too much about her.

He called her almost every day to see how she was doing. He always asked if it was okay to call so early for her but she woke up about five minutes before he called just because she knew the phone may ring. She had been left in charge of TM so they talked about business a bit but mainly he just talked about how much he missed her and how much he hoped that someday she would be able to visit Ireland with him. He didn't plan on staying away for so long but since he would be returning alone he figured he should help his daughter get set up in a safe place.

She missed him but at the same time the distance really gave her time to work through all the stuff with Sarah and everything else she had gone through. It gave her time to grieve and process the pain that was there without associating it with Chibs. She knew she really cared about Chibs but she needed to breathe too. She wasn't alone with the rest of the club around but she wanted to be able to give all of herself to Chibs when he returned.

At the moment she felt very vulnerable. She had wanted to put her thick wall back up but the events over the past two years had really broken her. It was increasingly hard to keep the stoic look pasted on her face along with standing up tall. She could keep the façade up but it was getting really difficult to hide the damage from her eyes. She wasn't sure if everyone could see it but she did know Happy could.

"You still with us Riley?" Happy grumbled out as he squatted next to the car she was working on.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just thinking and working."

"Nothing changes with you does it?"

"Not generally."

She rolled out from under the car and grabbed Happys extended hand to help her up. She popped up and wiped the dirt off her hands and smiled up at him. If anyone in this world could be called her best friend it would be this man. She was sure that anyone else hearing that come out of her mouth would laugh but he was her rock through everything.

Everyone else in the club was always there for her but Happy understood her more than anyone else. She was able to talk to him about the sadistic killer side of herself. She knew that anyone else would listen to her but no one would understand like he did. When she had lost Sarah he was there for her in a way no one else could have even understood, especially Chibs. She had almost lost Chibs in the process but at the time Happy was exactly who she needed.

"You talk to the prez today girl?"

"Yeah he called me this morning before I opened up the shop."

"You tell him what you needed to?"

Riley grimaced and shook her head no. There was a lot she needed to talk to Chibs about but most of it didn't seem right to bring up on the phone. It wasn't club related and it wasn't business related so she really didn't think it was that urgent. Although another part of her was just afraid he would decide not to come home if he got pissed off enough.

"Alright. You need to talk to him though."

Before Riley could answer him she heard the rumble of a single bike coming towards the shop. They both turned and saw Chibs rolling up on his bike with a huge smile on his face. Riley stepped forward and couldn't hide how excited and happy she was to see him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Happy smiling and crossing his arms. She wondered if he knew that Chibs was on his way back but she was too excited to ask him at the moment.

She waited until Chibs backed his bike into his spot in the parking lot until she started walking towards him. She was a ball of nerves. Part of her wanted to jump him right there but another part knew she needed to keep her cool. They weren't even an official thing yet and once she talked to him she wasn't sure he would even want to be.

* * *

Chibs saw Happy and Riley talking as he rolled in. Riley looked upset as she looked up at Happy but the look immediately left her face as she turned to see him roll into the parking lot. She was just as beautiful as the day he left. She had her long blonde hair pulled up into a tight bun and had her shop clothes on. They were baggy but she still looked incredibly sexy. The sun hitting her face made her bright blue eyes sparkle just how he had remembered them. The scars on both sides of her face running from her forehead down past her jaw line were both delicate and beautiful in the oddest way. Not many people could pull of major facial scars but Riley was one of them.

He watched her walk towards him and he could almost feel the nervous energy shooting off of her. She was wearing a full beautiful smile that was only reserved for when she was really happy. Normally she kept a fairly neutral look on her face though Chibs was learning to see the slight differences in it depending on what mood she was in. He learned long ago that she wasn't cold but she was very reserved. She was a lot like Happy in that aspect. They both were very observant and unless you knew them very well there was no way to tell how they were feeling about a situation.

"Good afternoon to the most beautiful lass in the world."

He watched as her cheeks flush slightly and she smiled sheepishly as she look at the ground. She stuck her hands on her pockets like she always did when she was nervous. She had stopped, keeping a bit of a distance between the two of them and it was driving him mad. They were pretty close when he had left though they had yet to actually turn their relationship sexual. He had tried to apologize to her about needing to leave in a hurry but she wouldn't have any of it. She knew he needed to go and the fact that she was so supportive made it that much easier to him.

"You didn't tell me that you would be home today. I would have made myself look a little more presentable."

She smirked slightly at him and it made his breath catch. Not even Fiona could drive him so wild without even touching him. Her smirk made her eyes sparkle in a way that made him forget the world around him.

"Aye. Ya don't need to dress up for the likes of me."

"Your accent seems heavier now."

"Aye. Only American voice I heard for almost half a year was yours."

She smiled again at him and closed the distance between them. He stood up off his bike and pulled her gently into him with one hand on her hip and the other on the side of her face. While he looked her in the eyes he ran his thumb across her face gently feeling relief from missing her. He had dreamt of this moment for months and it was nothing short of spectacular.

"I missed ya lass."

"And I missed you."

He leaned down and kissed her lips gently feeling that spark and connection that he had been craving. He felt her sigh into his kiss which only made him pull her in tighter. He felt her hands rest against his chest and lightly grab onto his cut. He loved that this tough as nails woman would melt in his embrace. He felt like this was a side of Riley not many had seen or experienced and he loved the fact that it was his to see. He pulled his mouth from hers but stayed close to her.

"We don't have church until tomorrow morning. Do you wanna go for a ride with me? I want to go to the beach."

"We won't get there until dark though."

"That's fine lass."

Riley nodded and looked between Chibs and her bike.

"Ride with me. I've missed you holding onto me."

Riley went stone faced again and nodded her head quickly before grabbing her helmet. She had grabbed her half helmet which was new. Normally she wore her full face she had shown up with but she had said she was starting to like the bucket helmet since it was so hot in California. Chibs climbed on his bike and held out his hand to help Riley onto it. She just shook her head and grabbed his hand. Although she was proficient in riding he still always helped her on when she was riding with him.

He felt her wrap her arms around his waist and put the side of her face on his back. He patted her hands as he started up the bike and rolled out. He was so glad to be home.

* * *

She stayed quiet the whole ride out to the beach. She was incredibly happy to be wrapped around Chibs again but she knew that she needed to talk to him about a lot once they got there. Part of her was hoping that they would just keep riding together like this and she would never have to face anything.

She closed her eyes and let herself take in everything. She absolutely loved the way Chibs smelled. The mix of cigarettes, leather and his cologne drove her wild. There were a few times while he was gone she would go into his dorm room and just curl up into his pillow allowing herself to pretend like he was there. She allowed herself to take in the smell while the air whipped around them with the feel of the bike underneath her. This was her happy place.

She felt the bike start to slow down so she opened her eyes to see the beach. It was almost dark out but there was still a slight glow. They pulled over and she swung herself off the bike along with her helmet. She pulled her cut off along with the top to her work clothes revealing a black tank top. She slipped her shoes off and then her pants showing she had a pair of jean shorts on. She left all the outer clothing on top of Chibs bike but slipped her cut back on. She looked at him to see he was smirking.

"Ya wear that all the time at work?"

"Sometimes. I was running late this morning so I just tossed it on over what I was wearing."

He smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders leading her to a spot on the beach. He sat down and pulled her down on top of him crashing his lips into hers. She kissed back but she was sure he could feel her hesitation when he pulled away with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong lass?"

"I need to talk to you."

She slipped off of his lap sitting next to him pulling her knees to her chest. He turned slightly so he was looking at her and put his hand on her knee.

"What's wrong lass?"

"I don't know what we are, and that is okay. We never really had a chance to really talk about it but I honestly needed the time to get over everything that happened. I missed you like crazy but I am glad we had that time apart. Helped me realized what I really want."

"And what is it that you want?"

"I need to tell you some stuff first before we have that conversation."

"Alright."

She looked at him and could see how nervous he was. As much as he tried to act like a hard ass, he had a heart of gold. She wouldn't ever want to be at the other end of his rage but she hated seeing him so worried about each word coming out of her mouth.

"Three weeks ago I slept with someone. I never intended anything to happen and I feel like shit about it."

She watched Chibs jaw set as he breathed out slowly.

"Tell me."

She took a deep breath hoping she could get everything out before he flipped out. He had every reason to be upset with her but she wanted him to know the whole situation.

"Let me tell you everything before you rip into me okay?"

He nodded once and continued to look at her with his jaw set.

"There was a crow-eater in the clubhouse who had been trying to go after me for months. Pretty much as soon as you left she was trying her hardest to get me into bed. She actually kind of looked like Sarah so it was pretty hard to look her in the eyes and tell her to fuck off. I did though. Every single time."

"Okay."

"Three weeks ago I got totally hammered because Rat had a huge party for his engagement. It was an awesome party. The girl, Kitty she called herself, really got me going. Well apparently she had been doing the same shit to Happy."

At the mention of Happys name Chibs stiffened up even more. She knew that this would be a sore spot for him considering Riley and Happys history but she needed to be straight with him.

"All three of us ended up in bed together. I don't remember a lot of it and neither does Happy. We were both really loaded. What I do know is nothing happened between myself and Happy. We both just shared Kitty."

She looked up at Chibs and saw that his face was relaxing a little. She stayed perfectly still waiting for him to get mad at her but it didn't happen.

"A few things. First off, thank ya for telling me the truth. You easily could have hidden it from me."

"I didn't want to. I would never be unfair to you like that."

"Second, I believe everything you're saying. You've always been straight forward with me about everything you do and I don't think anything would change that."

He grabbed onto her face with a hand on each side pulling her quickly to him causing her to gasp.

"Lastly, the next time you fuck a woman I better be in the fucking room. Got it?"

She smiled up at Chibs seeing the smirk on his face.

"You aren't mad at me?"

"Mad? No. Jealous? Yes. I can't be mad at ya though. For one we haven't even talked about what we are. Secondly you just shared a woman with another patched member. If I got mad about that I would have to let you be mad at me. Not like I haven't done it before lass."

She smiled at him and sighed out in relief. She grabbed onto the front of his cut and pushed so he fell backwards while she climbed up on top of him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her lips into his. She felt his hands tighten onto her waist as he groaned into her mouth.

"As much as I hate to stop you lass, isn't there more we need to talk about?"

Riley sat up slightly blushing. She pushed her hair out of her face and laughed softly. When she tried to climb off of him he tightened his hands down and shook his head no.

"We can talk like this."

"Are you sure? I feel like I could ask you anything right now and you would tell me yes."

Chibs laughed out loudly and helped slide her to the side of him while sitting up. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead gently.

"Fair enough. You said you have been doing a lot of thinking."

"Yeah. I think your time away gave me time to really think without all the complications."

"Go on. I'm an old man. I'm gonna die before you tell me what ya have figured out."

"I'm no good at relationships. I never have been. I grew up seeing shit relationships and I seem to always put myself in them. Honestly the healthiest relationship type thing I've ever had has been with Happy and we both know how fucked up that was."

"Jesus Christ lass. It's not like I'm very good at it either. Fi and I fought like dogs and then most of our marriage she was with a different man. Dated a cop for a while and that wasn't very good either."

"Where does that leave us then?"

"Where do you want us to be?"

"I don't know. I really care about you Chibs. I adore both sides of you in my life. I would protect you with my life in the name of this patch and I would give anything to see you smile away from the club. You are two different people to me and I like that. I like that we can bullshit like the rest of the guys in church and I like how soft and affectionate we are with each other behind the bedroom door."

"I like that too."

"I just don't want to fuck it all up. I don't know how to do all of this. I have felt so vulnerable since all the shit happened with Brandon. I don't feel like myself one hundred percent."

"It's something we can figure out together lass. If that's what you want."

She looked into his eyes seeing the sincerity she also heard in his voice. It felt good to unload all of this on him. It had been weighing on her shoulders for months now but she was very glad she waited until she was actually in front of him to say anything.

"If there is anyone on this planet I would want to figure out how to be in a relationship with, it's you."

She watched as a huge smile spread across Chibs face. He pulled her into him holding her close. She loved feeling his arms wrap around her and for the first time in a long time she felt safe. She felt like regardless of what happened and what they still needed to do she would always have a pair of arms to come home to.

"Then no more fucking crow-eaters unless I'm present." He murmured into the top of her head.

Riley pulled away and looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"You mean no more fucking crow-eaters right? Isn't that a normal relationship thing?"

"Nah lass. It means no more crow-eaters for me. You can still do what you want to them. Just as long as I'm around to see and hear it."

Riley chuckled and nestled back into Chibs chest. They sat watching the ocean as the sun completely set causing the darkness to really set it. She heard him yawn and realized that he probably was pretty tired from his flight in and the time change.

"Need me to drive home?"

"As much as I never thought I would ride bitch to anyone, I think riding bitch to you is alright."

Riley stood up and pulled Chibs to his feet. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips then started walking towards his bike. She climbed on and waited for him to climb on after her. When he did, he placed one hand on each breast which caused Riley to laugh out loudly. She moved his hands down to her waist and shook her head as she started the bike and pulled onto the road.


	2. Chapter 2

Chibs groaned as he stretched being woken by the sunlight hitting his face. He had fallen asleep almost instantly when they got back to the clubhouse. It wasn't exactly the ending to the night he was hoping for but at least he knew his place with Riley. When she had told him she had slept with someone, his mind had instantly flown to Happy. It wasn't exactly the wrong answer but the whole situation was a lot better than he had initially assumed.

He looked over to see the spot in the bed next to him empty. He reached over and it was cold so she must have gotten up a while before he woke. He squinted at the alarm clock and saw that it was already one in the afternoon, meaning she should be outside in the shop.

He stretched again and rolled out of bed heading towards the bathroom. They had both stayed in Rileys room since it was closer and probably cleaner. As he let the water wash over him and loosen his stiff muscles, he couldn't help but smile. It had been almost impossible for him to keep Riley off of his mind in Ireland. He was so afraid when he came back she would have decided that there wasn't anything between them.

Now she was his.

This whole thing was incredibly amazing and terrifying all at the same time. The only two major relationships he had both burned out very quickly and very violently. Not only that, but this was the first time he could really give a woman all of him since he was actually single now. There was no more threat of Fiona coming back and trying to complicate things and no more saying that the relationship couldn't go further since he was legally married.

Fiona.

He really wasn't sure how to feel about her death. There would always be a huge spot in his heart for the woman. She was in fact the mother of his child. She hadn't been wife of the year though. It wasn't like how Riley was with Sarah. She was in love with Sarah when she was ripped away. He wasn't really sure how he felt about Fiona considering how everything went down.

Chibs stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. When he walked out of the bathroom he saw Riley pulling the sheets and blankets off the bed. She was wearing a Sons ripped up t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Did I sweat a lot lass?"

Riley looked up and a huge smile spread across her face. Her blue eyes were sparkling as she took in the sight of Chibs standing in her bedroom. He wasn't sure how she did it but every time she looked at him he fell harder for her.

"No, I just always change the sheets on Wednesdays."

He smiled at her ritual and walked over to her. When he got closer she turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"The guys are all here. We were supposed to have church but I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh shite. I forgot!"

Riley smiled up at him and he instantly forgot everything he was worrying about. He figured the guys could wait as long as he wanted them to. Nothing was more important than those eyes looking up at him and the smile spread across her face.

"Alvarez is here."

"Why?"

"Said he found out some information about Brandon."

He watched as the smile faded from her face as she tried to compose herself.

Brandon.

That name still haunted everyone but especially the woman in front of him. It had been far too long since the coward of a man got his hands on Riley and hurt her beyond recognition. The scar on the right side of her face was the only thing left from the vicious assault but he knew she still screamed out in her sleep some nights.

They needed to find that asshole. Now.

"I'll be out in five minutes lass. Let him know please."

"Will do."

As Riley went to walk away Chibs caught her wrist causing her to spin back towards him. She still had a stone look on her face and he could tell she was nervous. He pulled her into him and pressed his lips against hers. Her body softened a little but there was still an edge behind it.

"We're going to find him Riley."

"I know."

He let her wrist go as she walked away heading towards the barroom. He meant it. They were going to find the bastard and make him pay for everything he had done to his Riley.

* * *

Happy watched Riley walk out of her room looking stoic as fuck. He knew something was up and hopefully it wasn't that Chibs was pissed about their night with the gash. He watched her poke her head into the chapel and tell Alvarez something. She shut the door and walked straight to the bar and told the prospect she wanted a shot. Although she was just as rough as the rest of the guys she was always kinder to the prospects. She hardly ever barked orders at them as long as they listened the first time. He walked over and stood next to her nudging her with his elbow.

"You alright girl?"

"Yeah. Alvarez has news about Brandon. Wants to talk to Chibs first before I hear any of it. Apparently he thinks I'm a loose cannon."

He saw a smirk play across her face and felt relief. This Brandon shit needed to end. Riley had been different since she came back, distant almost. She seemed to be having a hard time getting over everything. He was hoping that a bullet in between the fuckers eyes would snap her back to normal.

"Speaking of Chibs."

"I talked to him."

"Should I expect him to pull a gun on me?"

"Nah. He was actually cool with it since me and you didn't actually fuck. Said he was jealous but just made it clear the next time I have a woman in my bed he needs to at least be present."

Happy laughed out and pulled Riley into a one armed hug. He didn't think Chibs would be pissed but he didn't want to see it all go down in flames because of him. They never had to deal with members dating or fucking members before now. It was a delicate process but it seemed to be working so far.

"So what you're saying is he gave you permission to keep banging chicks."

"Exactly. But he made it clear I was the only chick for him."

"Sounds like a pretty good set up to me."

Riley smiled again and laughed softly. They both turned to see Chibs walked out of her room and walk towards church. When he turned to see Riley he walked over to her first pulling her into a hug and a heated kiss. Happy was sure that show was just for him. As much as he would always care for Riley it was never going to be like that for him. She was safer in the arms of the President and he hoped that someday Chibs would really see that.

Chibs set Riley back down and nodded to Happy. He turned and walked right into the chapel and shut the door behind him. He glanced over at Riley to see she was void of all emotion on her face again. Happy reached out and pulled her back into his chest as they both looked towards the chapel with his arms crossed around Rileys chest setting his hands on her shoulders. Riley put her hands on his arms and rest her chin into his arms letting herself relax just a tiny bit.

* * *

"Sorry about the wait, Alvarez."

Chibs walked over and shook the presidents hand as he took his seat at the head of the table. A few years ago a meeting like this would have been in a neutral area and everyone would have been carrying. Situations like this made him realize just how much changed when Jax moved his plan forward.

"Not a problem. Heard you got back and wanted to fill you in."

"Ya could have told the other members."

"Your girl out there is a fire cracker. Figured you were the only one to keep her in line."

Chibs laughed out and shook his head. Riley was smart. She wouldn't move forward without the club approval and without being told it was okay. She was never one to fly off the handle unless in direct threat. Even then it was smooth and calculated. She was their soldier through and through.

"Aye. She is something else. She would always listen though."

"Fair enough. I've been reaching out across the country looking for your enemy. I even reached out to some contacts in Mexico."

"Heard anything yet?"

"Nothing yet. However, I did hear a rumor that he was hiding out with the IRA. Apparently he has some irish background."

"Ah Christ."

"Anyone in Ireland know about your blonde beauty out there?"

"Nah. I didn't take her with me. Didn't talk about her. Made some calls but it was always on a burner."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do about looking into it more. I'll keep in touch."

Chibs stood when Alvarez did and shook his hand. Brandon having IRA connections made him incredibly nervous. There wasn't much he could do about it especially now that Fiona wasn't there to give him information when he needed it. It's not like he could go to the Kings and get information. He was sure they knew about Riley and it would be opening a door for them to let Brandon in.

They walked towards the door of the chapel and he opened the door for Alvarez. He stayed in the doorway putting his hands in his pockets. This wasn't good news but he needed to tell the club regardless. He learned long ago from Jax and Clay that everyone needed to know all the details.

He looked over to see Riley looking at him with a stone look but wild eyes. She could tell he wasn't pleased. Happy had his arms wrapped around her and he wasn't sure if it was to comfort her or to hold her back.

"Church!"

He turned away from the rest of the club and sat at the table. Everyone trickled in finished up by Riley. She stood in the doorway for a moment before taking her seat. He wanted to run over and hold her in his arms but it wasn't the time yet.

"Alright gentleman. First off, it's great to be back. I've been informed my accent is a little heavier so try to keep up."

Everyone chuckled around the table except Riley. She was staring straight ahead but not looking at anyone. She was sitting up as straight as possible, completely unmoving.

"Alvarez has been looking into where Brandon is. He's been reaching out across the country along with in Mexico. As you know we've been reaching out to all of our charters and any friends we may have. The only thing that anyone has heard is a rumor but one we need to take seriously."

He looked around at everyone with a grave look on his face. He needed the club to know but he felt horrible that he wasn't telling Riley this first and more personally. This was the hard part of caring more about her than just another member. He wanted to protect her and coddle her. This wasn't what she needed though and it sure as hell wouldn't be what she would accept.

"Alvarez has heard from some of his contacts that Brandon has IRA ties. Something about a family member being in or something like that. It could explain how he disappeared so easily both when he assaulted Riley the first time and the time he got away from us."

He was looking at Tig but could see Riley ball her fists up out of the corner of his eye. Tig nodded and glanced over at Riley.

"Doll if you need to step out you can." Tig told her but it sounded more like a question.

"No." Is all she answered very strongly.

"Do you have any contacts with the IRA anymore?" Happy grumbled out surprising everyone. He was so quiet sometimes it was easy to forget he was there.

"Aye but I don't know if they can be trusted. Fi was my only contact that I knew I could trust."

"They must know that I'm here. If he is with them then they already know about me."

"Aye. But it makes even safer I didn't take ya with me. I would have been handin ya over."

Riley nodded and looked down at the table. Chibs watched her eyes flit back and forth and he could tell she was thinking. When she didn't look back up he knew she wouldn't bring anything else up. She was too meticulous in her planning to come up with something this quick when there wasn't any real danger yet.

"Alvarez is going to keep trying to figure out more information. I think in the mean time we need to just wait. We've gone head on with the IRA before and it wasn't pretty."

He watched everyone nod in agreement. Everyone except Riley. She continued to stare at the table.

"All in favor?"

Everyone said yes so Chibs hit the table ending Church. Riley instantly got up and was the first one out of the room. He watched her turn left towards her room and disappear out of sight. Chibs got up from the table and went to follow her.

* * *

Riley walked into her room and shut the door behind her. She didn't think it was going to be very good news but Brandon with the IRA? This was incredibly bad. She heard the door open behind her but she didn't move.

"Lass.."

"You have to turn me over to them."

She heard the door shut and quick movements to her followed by hands turning her around. She looked up at Chibs and saw a scowl on his face. He placed a hand on each side of her face.

"They don't even want ya. That isn't what this means. This just means we can't get to him yet. We don't even know if the IRA is protecting him."

Riley looked down and sighed. She just wanted all of this over. She had already lost Sarah and two children because of this bastard. She had almost lost her own life on more than one occasion.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

Chibs was running his thumbs across her face gently while looking at her. Riley finally looked into his eyes and felt her heart jump. The softness of his voice and the gentle touch on her face was making her forget everything she was worried about.

"I just want to forget about him. I want it all over with. I want to move on and know that I can live my life."

"And ya can lovey. We just need to be patient."

"I'm tired of being patient."

She realized after she said that she meant it in more than one way. Chibs and her had been close but they had never actually had sex. There were a few times that it got heated but something always happened to stop them. Chibs looked at her and his eyes darkened. He must have understood what she meant.

"There is nothing stopping us now Lass. Not a damn thing on this planet is in the way of us being together. I want you. I want you in every way possible."

Riley looked up at him and smirked.

"Then what is stopping you?"

* * *

Chibs growled in his throat seeing the devilish look in her eyes along with her question. There wasn't a damn thing stopping him from ripping her clothes off right here. He wanted more than that though. They had been waiting a long time for this so he was going to take his time.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He pressed his lips into hers and they battled for dominance while he walked towards the bed. Just as he felt her tongue dance across his bottom lip a sharp knock sounded from the door.

Chibs groaned and pressed his forehead against Rileys. He heard her sigh out a small giggle and unwrap herself from his waist. He gave her an apologetic look and walked towards the door. He swung the door open making sure to keep an angry look on his face. He saw Happy standing in the doorway and tried not to laugh at the irony of the cock block that continuously came from the tattooed man.

"Sorry Prez. You left your burner on the bar. It's your daughter."

Chibs let out a sigh and looked back at Riley. She smiled at him and nodded her head once before he walked out of the room. He wasn't sure how he got so lucky to have Riley but he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything to mess it up.


	3. Chapter 3

Riley huffed out a sigh after Chibs walked out of the room and flopped on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling wondering why every power that be always cock blocked her. They had been playing this dance for almost two years now and it was really starting to get to her. It all heated up the day after her birthday two years ago and there was no end to the constant blue balls in sight.

Her birthday.

She was going to be 25 in a week. She knew that wasn't very old but it felt like a lifetime ago that she was turning 23. She wondered if the guys would remember her birthday without her saying anything. Actually, she hoped that the guys would forget. It wasn't a big deal to her. She would much rather spend the night with Chibs relaxing than having to deal with a huge party.

"You alright girl?"

Riley sighed. Happy didn't let her sit alone in her room for long. He could tell better than anyone else she was still feeling off.

"Yeah. Just a little frustrated."

"You'll get there."

"I remember you telling me that a year ago."

Happy rumbled out a laugh and pushed her legs over so he could sit down. No one else would have the balls to do that, especially not in her room. She hardly even let anyone in here.

"Can't really be mad about his kid calling."

"Hap, you know damn well I'm not mad about that. If I was pissy about that I would have been pissy the whole time he was gone."

"That's true. You were a little quieter but nothing I can't deal with."

"Are you saying you like it better when the women around you are silent?"

Riley smirked and looked over at Happy. It was common knowledge Riley was the only female he even tolerated talking around him.

"Me? Nah. You know me, girl. I love sitting and talking to women all day."

They both burst out laughing right as Chibs walked back in the door. She saw him cross his arms and smile softly at the two. She felt Happy stand up causing her to shift on the bed due to the weight fluctuation.

"Everything alright boss?"

"Aye. Everything is great."

Happy placed his hand on Chibs shoulder as he walked out of the room. Riley was incredibly glad that Chibs was okay with her being so close to Happy still. It would kill her if her past mistakes made an impact on her relationship with either man.

"So what is up with you letting big tattood bikers into your bed."

Chibs smirked at Riley as he shut the door. Riley smirked back knowing he was messing with her.

"Well, I get awfully lonely awfully quick and I really am fond of big tough bikers." She cooed back at him.

"Is that right?" Chibs said huskily as he stalked towards her.

Riley nodded her head while pouting her lips out making herself look a very over the top version of innocent. She was still laying back on her bed and seeing Chibs walk towards her with his dark eyes was turning her on beyond belief. She was trying to keep her breathing even as she bit onto her bottom lip keeping eye contact with Chibs. Chibs let out a growl as he saw her bite her own lip and pounced on her, pinning her wrists up above her head. Riley let out a giggle, loving how playful they were being with each other.

"I better be the only bad arse biker you invite in this bed lass. Got it?"

Riley nodded still smiling up at Chibs. His eyes were dark as he looked down at her. He pressed his lips against hers gently which drove Riley wild. She pressed back into him causing the kiss to become deeper. She nipped his bottom lip and giggled at the throaty moan that escaped his mouth.

"You going to be alright Chibs?"

"No, love, not until I have ya."

"You do have me."

Chibs let a smile cross his face but his eyes seemed to get even darker.

"Not like that."

He pressed his lips to hers again quickly then pulled away. Riley looked at him confused as she sat up, propping herself up with her elbows.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Kerrianne called. She wants to come visit. If she likes it she wants to stay. The IRA is trying to get her to take her ma's place."

"Ah, fuck. That is awesome that she is coming here though!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I know how much you miss her all the time. Plus, I would love to meet her. When does she get here?"

"Tomorrow."

Riley sat up all the way and kissed Chibs' cheek. She was excited to meet Kerrianne.

"Chibs?"

"Yeah?"

"She isn't much younger than me is she?"

Chibs laughed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Nah. She isn't. She knows about ya though. She just wants to see her da happy."

Riley smiled and pulled Chibs to stand and wrapped her arms around his waist. She wasn't sure why but knowing Chibs was going to have his daughter around more often made her incredibly happy. She never wanted to have a child of her own so this was the only way that he was going to have the family he wanted.

"I need ta run and get some stuff for her room. Want to go with?"

"Of course!"

Riley kissed his cheek and followed him out of the room realizing she had never even seen his apartment before.

* * *

Chibs pulled the truck into his driveway and turned the ignition off. Riley had helped him pick out everything he needed to set up the spare bedroom into a nice place for Karrianne. Even if she decided not to stay she needed to feel welcome for her time there.

"I just text Tiggy. The guys will be over here in a few hours to help move everything in. The garage is swamped so it won't be until after six."

"So what yer saying is we have three hours alone."

He saw Riley smirk and try to hide it.

"Yeah. I mean you can drop me off back at the garage if you want. I'm sure there is paperwork to-"

Chibs cut her off by pulling her across the truck and into his lap. He crashed his lips against hers causing her to moan against him. He grabbed onto her waist pulling her closer but bouncing her ass off the horn. The neighbors all turned to look which caused Riley to roar out in laughter.

"I think everyone in the neighborhood is watching now."

"Aye."

Chibs opened up the door and got out quickly pulling Riley with him. He grabbed onto her wrist and started pulling her towards his house. He only had three hours to do everything he wanted to with this woman. He was sure the guys would be interrupting them no matter how long he had.

* * *

Riley laughed as he pulled her into his apartment. She looked around to see it was very sparsely decorated. There were a few Sons t-shirts tacked up to the wall and an older looking couch in front of his tv. His kitchen looked like it was untouched which didn't surprise her at all.

Before she could look at more of the apartment she was pushed backwards into the shut door. Chibs crashed his lips into hers while pressing his waist into hers. She brought her hands up to his face as they kissed, fighting for dominance.

"Wait. Wait."

Chibs pulled back a little looking at her like she was crazy. She reached into her pocket and turned her phone on silent before she tossed it on his couch. He grinned at her, copying her actions before he pressed himself back into her.

She moaned into his lips as he ground his pelvis into hers. Two years of sexual frustration was being taken care of in that moment and Riley could barely contain herself. Chibs scooped her up allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

They moved towards the hallway where he pressed her back against the wall. She pushed his cut off letting it drop to the floor followed by shrugging her own off when he moved her back away from the wall. She wound her hands into his hair causing him to growl out and slam her into the wall right outside of his bedroom. She let out a gasp at the slight pain and bit onto his lip.

He pulled away from the wall quickly carrying her into the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and started yanking her boots off. She pulled her own shirt off and unbuttoned her pants allowing him to pull them off quickly. He went to push her down onto the bed but she stopped him with a smirk.

"Now me being the only one almost naked isn't fair my dear."

Chibs smiled and pulled his shirt off as Riley unbuttoned his jeans. He stepped out of them kicking his boots off at the same time leaving him in nothing but socks and boxers. Riley kicked her socks off and looked at his.

"Please. It's a pet peeve of mine."

"Really? Socks?"

"Please."

Chibs laughed out and pulled his socks off trying not to stumble over. He stood up straight with his hands on his hips.

"Any other demands?"

"Yeah. Get the fuck over here."

Chibs eyes darkened as he grinned and pounced on top of Riley. He grabbed the backs of her knees and yanked quickly, pulling her closer and forcing her on her back. Her eyes widened and a devilish grin spread across her face. She hadn't really seen much of this side of Chibs yet but she was loving it.

Chibs paused looking into her eyes. She looked back seeing all the love that she had always guessed was there. This was the first time that they were both really vulnerable in front of eachother. It was magical.

"I missed you, Lass."

"And I missed you."

Chibs leaned in and kissed her lips tenderly. She felt his hips grind into her again and couldn't contain the breathless moan from escaping her mouth. Chibs ran his hand up her side slowly and gently as he continued to kiss her passionately. Riley wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. She felt his tongue dance across her lips so she opened her mouth more allowing him in.

She felt his hands snake around to her back and undo her bra. He slowly and carefully pulled it off of her then placed his left hand onto her breast. He massaged it and ran him thumb across her nipple causing her to arch her back slightly and moan. He bit down onto her lip gently as he continued to massage her breast and grind into her.

"You're driving me crazy Chibs."

"Good."

He moved his mouth down to her nipple and flicked his tongue out quickly. Riley gasped out at the sensation and pushed her hips up into his. She appreciated him taking care of her but she needed friction or she was going to scream.

"Please.."

"Please what Lass. All you have to do is tell me what ya want."

"I want you." She almost whined.

"Tell me what you want." Chibs whispered as he kissed up her neck softly and slowly.

"I want you inside of me."

She heard Chibs laugh huskily as he pulled her panties off and toss them on the floor. He pulled his boxers down allowing his hard member to spring forward. She reached out and wrapped her hand around it while he pulled his boxers off the rest of the way. He moaned at the friction she was causing on his swollen cock and climbed back on top of her. He looked her in the eyes before slowly sliding himself inside of her.

Riley let her head fall back as she moaned out finally feeling relief. It had been a while since she had sex with a man so she was incredibly tight. She looked up to see Chibs looking at her as he slowly started to move in and out of her core.

"Fuck Lass. Why did we wait so long?"

Riley laughed out in between moans and shrugged her shoulders. Chibs started to move more quickly as he moved his mouth back to hers. He was moving at the perfect pace so it was still very loving but she could feel herself heading towards an orgasm. He continued to kiss her as he rocked in and out of her while he played with her right breast.

She could feel the orgasm building as her body started to heat up. She couldn't stop the moans from coming out every time he pushed into her. As she got louder he pushed into her harder and harder. Right before her moans turned into screams he reached down to play with her clit, causing her to scream out as her orgasm rocked her body.

Chibs continued to rock in and out of her chasing his own orgasm as she came down from hers. When he thrust into her for the last time she hit another orgasm causing her to throw her head back and moan loudly. She pulled Chibs close to her, holding him in place as they both tried to catch their breath.

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah. That was amazing."

Chibs rolled off of Riley and pulled her into his side. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Once her breathing calmed down she looked up at him and smiled.

"Ya know. I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Thought?"

"Yeah. I thought your smile was the greatest thing in the world."

"That changed?"

"Aye. Now I know you're the most beautiful woman in the world. That look of ecstasy I just put on there.. Nothing compares to that. Not even your smile."

Riley laughed and nestled into his side with a sigh. She was incredibly happy. They had waited so long for this moment and it was indescribable. She yawned and closed her eyes feeling completely content.


	4. Chapter 4

Chibs woke up to hearing a knock on the front door. He hadn't even realized that he had dozed off. He slowly pulled his arm out from underneath Rileys sleeping body trying not to wake her. He paused to see how peaceful she was. Her hair was a wild mess but she had never looked so angelic.

He slipped on his boxers as he walked towards the door. He shut the bedroom door and was cursing under his breath is Gaelic. He didn't understand why the guys didn't just walk in. Tiggy had a key. Bastard must have forgotten it. He heard the knock on the door again.

"I'm comin, I'm comin. Did you forget your damn-"

As he opened the door he saw Althea Jerry standing in the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. It had been years since she had taken off. He remembered the threat coming from his lips when she threatened to not play the MC's game anymore. Right after Jax had died, she took off leaving her badge on the table. He had guessed his threat had more weight when he started wearing the president patch.

"What are you doing here, Althea?"

He watched as her face fell. She seemed upset that he didn't welcome her with open arms. Maybe at one point he would have, but not now. He had been a little upset when she left, honestly. The longer she was gone through the more he realized that she would always be a reminder of that side of him. The side that killed and fucked whoever he had to. He had killed so many people back then and every time he looked at Althea he saw all their faces.

"You're not welcoming me home?"

"This ain't your home."

"It was at one point."

"Aye. A long time ago, and that time has passed."

She was wearing a sheriffs uniform so he was assuming why she was back in town. From what he had heard she was working somewhere else as a sheriff but he never knew for sure. He guessed she was able to transfer back in.

"Are you going to let me in?"

"No."

He saw her eyes flicker behind him and her face harden. He had never seen her that unhappy and they had been through some pretty unpleasant shit around each other. He didn't even hear a sound so he figured Riley was standing in the living room. She was always silent when she wanted to be. He turned to look behind her and saw Riley.

She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was down and messy. It fell all around her shoulders and framed her pale face. The way that it fell it made her scars more prominent compared to her bright blue eyes. She was wearing one of his white wife beater tank tops and her black lacy panties. Her perky breasts could be seen through the tank top and he wanted more than anything to pin her up against the wall.

"Is everything okay, baby?"

Her voice was sickly sweet as she stood perfectly still. Even though he knew she wasn't mad, he could see how intimidating she could be. She was a strong woman, not one that Althea would be used to seeing around the club.

"Aye, love. Everything is okay."

He looked back at Althea and saw the anger in her eyes. Not that she wasn't used to seeing women around, but he was sure the affectionate names were something new to her ears. Through all the time that he and Althea were together he never showed her affection if it wasn't during sex. Maybe a few kisses but that was more to make her shut up.

"I can see your taste in women hasn't improved much. Though, I've never seen you bring a crow eater to your apartment."

He could feel the anger start to radiate off of Riley. Riley was always incredibly nice to the crow-eaters, but being called one was never a compliment. He watched her pull both cuts off the ground and walk towards him. She handed him his cut and slipped her own on. He tried to keep focused on keeping her from lunging at Althea but she looked so sexy with barely anything on and that cut. He saw Altheas eyes widen in surprise.

"I have my own cut, darling. I don't need a man to solidify my place here."

Altheas eyes widened as she took in the blonde standing next to him. There wasn't much of a height difference between the two but the rest of them were like night and day.

He heard bikes rumbling down the road towards his apartment and Althea straightened up. He saw a smirk play across Rileys face as the bikes pulled into his driveway. Tig and Happy hopped right off their bikes and walked towards the front door.

'Well, well, well prez, look what the cat dragged in" Tig sneered into Altheas ear.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Jerry." Happy barked right after.

"I.. I.."

"C'mon, spit it out." Chibs drawled out while putting his arm around Rileys shoulders.

"I came here to tell you I'm back in town."

"Aye. I see that."

"I'm back in charge here too. So no bullshit."

All the guys laughed but Riley stayed staring at her.

"The only ones in charge of this town, darling, wear this cut. Last time I checked you aren't wearing it."

Althea glared at Riley sensing the hidden threat and huffed as she turned to walk away. She almost ran head first into Happy, who glared down at the sheriff. She scrambled away from him and basically ran to her car, with everyone laughing standing on the porch. Tig turned and looked Riley up and down with a huge smile on his face.

"Were you already dressed like that or did you change on her accord?"

Chibs noticed that Happy was looking into the house but avoiding looking at Riley. He looked at Riley and she had a stone look on her face again.

"Who was that, Chibs? I could feel the tension between you two so I know she is more than just a sheriff."

"Aye. She used to be a sheriff here. We had a little arrangement and she thought it was more than it was. She took off when I took over. Didn't like the change in control. I don't like her being back."

Riley nodded and walked back towards the bedroom. He followed her leaving Tig and Happy to carry stuff in from the truck. He walked in to Riley stripping off her clothes and walking into the bathroom attached to his room. He followed her in just as she closed the shower curtain and turned the water on.

"We alright, lass?"

"Not really a fan of your baggage knocking on your door, but yeah we're alright."

"I didn't know she was back, or I would have warned ya. She's a really old ghost."

"I understand."

Chibs leaned against the sink waiting for Riley to be done with her shower. His mind was racing. He had no good thoughts that had to do with Althea, but he knew she wasn't going to just give up. She had a mean streak a mile wide and sure as hell was never afraid of playing dirty. The shower curtain opened to a soaking wet Riley.

"When does Kerriannes plane land tomorrow?"

"Eight in the morning."

"Are you going alone?"

"Was hoping you'd come with me. I think the two of you will get along really well."

He saw a smile flash across her face. For some reason his daughter made Riley incredibly happy. She wrapped a towel across herself and walked back into the bedroom.

"Does that mean yer comin with me?"

"Aye" she said mockingly with a smile.

Chibs growled and tossed her onto the bed, pinning her down. Riley squealed out a laugh and tried to scramble away. Chibs pressed his lips against hers silencing her.

"Ya think yer so smart don't ya."

"Oh I know I'm so smart, my handsome biker."

Chibs smiled at her before pressing his waist into hers and crashing his lips against her.

"You do know the guys are still here."

"Aye."

Chibs got up and shut the door before pulling his boxers off and climbing back on top of Riley.


	5. Chapter 5

Althea watched a few more bikes roll into the driveway she had just left. She decided to park down the road to cool herself off. She hadn't expected everything to go perfectly but she sure as hell didn't expect that either. When did they start letting women into the club? When she had left it was very clear that women had their place and in club business was not one of them. Maybe Jax had something to do with that?

The next question was who was this woman? She started searching the club on her cell phone trying to find a name she could run. The only problem was that the club was legit now. No more guns and no more run ins with the wrong people. They were extremely legitimate now and as much as that was great news for the town, it was pissing her off trying to find out who the blonde was.

She searched TM auto and an incident from a few years popped up. A woman, Sarah, had been killed in the parking lot. Her girlfriend Riley Morey was standing with her but unharmed. Was Riley the same woman?

She searched Riley and found very little as far as a record went. She was in the military and medically retired. The only record she really had was a restraining order against a Brandon and a self defense shooting against the Mayans. She was shocked that they actually called in a shooting. She felt sick to her stomach at reading the report of losing her child after being beaten by Brandon. There was also another incident where Riley was almost killed by him. She had noticed scars on her face. Were they all from that man?

She looked up Brandon and saw that he was still on the run. Every once in a while they would get wind of him but he would disappear just as soon as they came up. There was an idea that he had Irish connections but no solid proof. She was surprised that this man was still living after the horrific treatment Riley went through. The club didn't let anyone live after hurting someone they cared about, especially a member or an old lady, and she seemed to be both.

She hacked into Riley's medical files on her phone and saw that during the Mayan shoot out she had been injured. She had miscarried. Was it Chibs? She clicked through some more and saw that Happy Lowman was listed as the father. She laughed to herself not seeing Happy as a father and knowing that the little blonde slut got around.

She knew that something needed to be done. She was either going to play the relationship between Happy and Riley or find Brandon. She wanted her Chibs back and she would do anything possible to get her.

* * *

_How dare she be shacked up with that old prick. I can't even understand what he is saying half of the time! Fucking whore. I gave her everything and what do I get in return? She turns into a god damn biker whore. I hate that brand on her. I fucking HATE IT! She should only be wearing a brand that has to do with me._

_I hate hearing them fuck. I hate it. Part of me hates those fucking microphones I put in his house but I knew I would find something out eventually. I now know they are together for sure. I also know the kid she lost was from the big ass scary one. What the hell is wrong with her? What happened to my Riley!_

_My Riley was so sweet and innocent. She listened and obeyed everything I had to say. Look at her now. Fucking slut. She is probably fucking the whole god damn club._

_I need to connect with that cop. Althea they said. She is working in town again so she shouldn't be hard to find. I think me and her have some mutual ideas. I don't care about the old Scottish prick. I only want my Riley back. She was never his to take._


	6. Chapter 6

Riley couldn't help but smile as she rode next to Happy as they followed Chibs and Tig. Things were going absolutely amazingly. She and Chibs were doing great. They spent most nights together at home with Kerrianne. It was an adjustment at first since Chibs was hardly ever near his daughter, but Riley and her had kicked off a great friendship. Club business was going just fine with the porn business.

The only thing left to do was take care of Brandon. She was sure that is why she was so damn giddy. Alvarez had called and said he had information and a location for the bastard. This was going to be it. They were going to end this and everyone knew Riley would be the one pulling the trigger.

As they rolled up to the meeting spot Alvarez had picked she felt an uneasiness in her gut. She looked around and realized that this place was very secluded and there was only one way out. She was instantly on edge and out of the corner of her eye she saw Happy was too. She looked forward to Alvarez and noticed he wouldn't really look at any of them. She didn't know him very well but he had always been very friendly with the club, including her.

Before Riley could say anything to Chibs they heard sirens and saw men coming from the wood line with guns. Riley tried to pull her own piece out but was stopped when she felt a barrel being pressed to the back of her head as she was forced to her knees. She looked to see the Mayans all turn their backs and head towards their bikes.

"Alvarez, what is this shite?" Chibs yelled out.

"I'm sorry Prez. They threatened to take my daughter away. It was her or you."

Riley grit her teeth together. Whatever this bullshit was she wasn't mad at Alvarez. He was looking out for his kid and could see he was really upset. She glanced over to see Happy flat on his stomach with someone stepping on his back. The sirens were still coming and these men didn't have uniforms on. Chibs was staring at one of the men and she had never seen so much hate coming from him. Tig was bleeding from his mouth but was still mouthing off. Riley stayed perfectly still trying to figure out what was going on and how she was going to get everyone out of this alive.

The cop cars finally showed up and she turned to see Althea leading the way. She grit her teeth again wanting to jump the bitch. She wanted to slap the smug smile off the brunettes face and stomp her teeth in. Whatever this was, it was bullshit. No one had done anything lately.

"Chibs! So glad to have caught up with you!" Althea sneered.

Riley roared out in laughter when Chibs spit in Althea's face. She hauled back and smacked him across the face and the man pressed the barrel of his gun harder into RIleys head when she tried to lunge forward to get to Chibs. Chibs held up his hand letting Riley know she needed to back down.

"Oh I see you have your bitch trained Chibs."

Althea turned to look at Riley as her and Happy both growled out at the insult.

"Riley Morey, you seem to have way too many men that want you. You see, I am going to be taking the Sons in on some bullshit charge about starting a fight with the Mayans here, which was totally unprovoked! You, however, will be staying here with my Irish friends. They seem to have someone who has been looking for you."

Just as Althea finished her sentence a car rolled up and came to a stop. The door opened and Riley stopped breathing. Out stepped a very smug Brandon looking very clean cut and well taken care of. The men who had guns pointed at them stepped aside but kept their guns trained on the men. Riley stood up and tried to scramble away but the man behind her pushed her back down.

"I told you, Riley, this is my town. Grab the guys and let's go." Althea called out.

Riley watched in horror as Brandon walked closer slowly like he was stalking his prey. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Tig, Chibs and Happy all struggling and fighting against their captors and the cops. Chibs landed a well-placed punch against the man holding him and sprinted towards Riley. Just as he was about to reach her Brandon pulled a gun and placed it right against Rileys forehead. He stopped dead in his tracks and almost fell over trying to stop.

"No, no, no old man. Take one more step and I will blow her fucking brains out. If I can't have her you can't either. So back the fuck up." Brandon demanded.

"Brandon, please let her go. Take me instead. I'm the one who ya should be mad at. I'm the one who took her back. Please. Don't hurt her again."

Riley was trying so hard to stop herself from shaking but she was failing. She was blinking back tears from her eyes knowing that this could very well be the last time she ever saw Chibs again. She could hear Happy and Tig screaming her name and trying to fight off everyone as they were thrown into the cruisers.

Riley had to fight back throwing up and she heard Brandon cackle at Chibs' request. She kept her eyes trained on Chibs trying to memorize every line on his face. His hair was messy and she wanted so badly to push it out of his face. She wanted to press her lips against his just one last time. She wanted to be able to say goodbye.

"Brandon?" Riley all but whispered through her shaking.

Brandon whipped around to look at Riley. His face was unreadable but she knew that meant he was listening. She had barely spoken to him when he had kidnapped her before. She had survived him before and she was going to make damn sure that Chibs walked away from this.

"Brandon, baby, I'll do whatever you want me to. Just let me say goodbye to Chibs okay?"

Brandon rolled his jaw and he looked at Riley. She could see him thinking trying to figure out her sudden change. When he face spread into a smile she had to fight throwing up again.

"Riley, my love. You don't need to say goodbye to him! You don't need him! I am back now. This mean you never have to touch his old ass again!"

Rileys eyes flashed over to Chibs and saw the desperation and heartache in his eyes. This was killing him.

"Brandon, if I don't say goodbye to him he's gonna come looking for me. You don't want that do you?"

Brandon rolled his jaw again and she saw nothing but anger on his face. He walked towards her quickly and backhanded her causing her to fall to the side. She heard Chibs scream out and the other two start going crazy from behind her. She sat back up and spit blood onto the ground.

"Get the fuck up and tell him to not follow you!" Brandon spit at her and he dragged her to her feet and shoved her towards Chibs. She stumbled into Chibs and he wrapped his arms around her quickly and held her close. She buried her face into his chest and stifled a sob. She knew that would be the last time they would touch and she couldn't bring herself to pull away from him.

"Lass, we will find you."

"I left some documents in the dresser. Go right to them. Please." Riley whispered quickly.

"Riley we will find you."

"Please listen to what I am saying. Okay?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." Riley chocked out quietly.

She felt Brandon grab onto her hair and yank her back away from Chibs as Althea slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. Althea smiled at Riley as she walked him away and Brandon dragged backwards towards his car.

Riley felt a sharp pain at the back of her head and everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Chibs saw Brandon pistol whip Riley in the back of the head and yelled out trying to pull away from Althea. He heard Althea yell something and before he knew it another man had grabbed him, dragging him towards her cruiser. Chibs couldn't hold back the sob as he watched helplessly as Brandon dragged Riley into his car. He fought hard until the car pulled away. He dropped to his knees and put his head to the ground.

He hadn't protected her. He had promised her with everything he had she would always be safe. He had told her not to worry because the club would always protect her.

"Get up, Filip. She's gone." Althea said cheerfully.

Chibs sat up slowly and turned to look at her. He heard her gasp seeing the tears staining his dirty face and the look of pure hatred he had for her. He stood up slowly and got in her face, staring down at her.

"What the fuck did you do, Jerry."

"I took care of the problem."

"SHE WASN'T A GOD DAMN PROBLEM ALTHEA!"

"SHE WAS TO ME!"

"YOU JUST SIGNED HER DEATH CERTIFICATE YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

"What?" Althea said puzzled.

"Did ya not read what he did to her last time? HE WILL FUCKING KILL HER!"

Althea shook her head and composed herself. The less she seemed to care about the gravity of what she had done the more pissed Chibs got. He wanted nothing more than to beat her face into her car until she stopped breathing. He didn't even hate Fiona this much.

"He isn't going to kill her. The Irish have interest in her. Her father is a King."

Chibs heart sank. A King? He knew all the Kings. He did know that some of them were all over the world but they were never in the important calls. Could it be true?

"Get in the car so I can get you all home. If I take these handcuffs off will you behave?"

"Take them off and let us ride home. We both know they're long gone by now."

He watched as Althea tried to figure out what to do. They both knew if she rolled up to the station with three Sons and four bikes there would be questions, especially when she let them all go.

"On one condition."

"What the fuck else could you want from me."

"When I call, you answer. We need to talk."

Chibs scoffed and shook his head. She obviously had forgotten what happened to people when they crossed the club. On the other hand, she had information and he needed it. If it meant he had to talk to the gash then so be it. He needed to get home and figure out what in the bloody hell Riley was talking about.

"Alright. Let us go."

Althea smiled as she nodded at the man holding Chibs to un cuff him. She looked back and nodded as the other lets Tig and Happy out of the car and un cuffed them. Chibs watched as Happy and Tig glared forward at Althea, seeming unsure of what to do. Chibs walked towards his bike and saw the two men following.

"I'll call Rat. Have him get out here to get her bike." Happy grumbled.

"I don't want ya out here alone, Hap. I gotta get home. Riley said she has something in our dresser for me. Said I need it as soon as possible."

"Prez, you can't ride alone either." Tig said quickly.

"I don't have a choice, Tiggy. I failed her. I gotta fix this."

Chibs hopped on his bike and took off before either men could stop him. He didn't care how fast he was going all he knew was that he needed to get her back. He had finally heard those three words come from her lips and now he knew more than ever he was addicted to her. He would get her back if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Kerrianne sat on the couch of her fathers apartment trying to stop the tears from falling. She knew that her father was into some bad shit, but she was hoping that when she came to the state the Irish would disappear. Knowing that Riley was gone was ripping her apart.

At first when she heard her dad was with someone her age she was a little grossed out. She knew that him and her mother would never get back together but that didn't mean he had to find someone so young. Age didn't mean everything but she was barely older than his daughter, for christs sake.

Then she met Riley. She was absolutely beautiful. Not many women could pull off the bad ass look that she does. Her scars made her look even more beautiful. She was muscular and strong. She looked up to her. As soon as she saw her she knew exactly why her father was in love with her. Given different circumstances she probably would be following her around too. Not that she would try to steak her dads woman though. Gross.

The more time she spent with Riley the more she realized how strong she was. She had been through hell and back and still could keep a smile on her face. She had opened herself up for Kerrianne and for that she would be forever grateful. This whole transition was so much easier having her around.

Now she was gone.

Happy had called her as soon as her father had head out. He told her to lock the doors and keep her gun close. They didn't think they would be going after her but just in case she needed to be careful.

She hated all of this.

She could heard how distraught Happy was and she was assuming that was a big deal. Happy barely even smiled unless Riley was around. Riley had told her about their past and thinking about Happy loving someone was a terrifying thought. Riley figured that the feelings between the two would never really go away, it was just better the way that it was. She knew how ruthless her father could be but if Happy got his hands on whoever took Riley…

She shivered at the thought.

She was snapped out of her thought to the sound of a bike rolling up into the driveway. It cut off quickly and she heard her father yelling for her. She quickly opened up the door only to be pulled into a bone crushing hug. She started crying even harder seeing how upset her father was.

"Anyone been here?"

"No da. Happy called. Been waitin for ya."

Her father kissed the top of her head and pushed past her quickly towards the bedroom. She locked the door behind her and followed him back seeing that he was digging through a dresser. He pulled out a stack of papers and sat down on the bed.

"What is that da?"

"I don't know. Before Riley was taken she told me to read through these papers."

Kerrianne sat down next to her father and started reading the top letter with him.

_My sweet Filip,_

_If you're reading this you're either nosy or Brandon finally caught up with me. Hopefully you're just being nosy, but in case you aren't please know that I love you. I love you with the very depths of my soul. Through everything that we have been through you have shown me compassion that I have never felt before. I wish we had found our way into each other's arms sooner, but the past few months with you have been absolutely amazing._

_When you were in Ireland your phone calls kept me breathing. When I lost Sarah I never thought I would find love again. I thought that bullet killed my spirit just as much as it killed her. You proved me wrong though._

_I'll never have a living child of my own, and that is okay. Kerrianne is just as much of a daughter to me as she is to you and I hope you know how much I love her. I have only known her for a short time but she reminds me so much of you, Chibs. She is a beautiful young woman and if I never see her again please make sure she knows she will always have a huge chunk of my heart. That piece is one I didn't even know existed._

_Please take care of Happy for me. I know that he can be such a miserable bastard but he is my best friend. He is going to blame himself for all of this just as much as you will. He is strong so we both know that he won't say it but make sure he knows I love him and I don't want him to do anything stupid. I'm not there anymore to cover his ass so he needs to be careful._

_And Tiggy. He's like the creepy brother no one wants, but I care so much about him. Tell him to go find Venus. Even if they can't fix their relationship she will know how to make him work through all of this shit. I know the last time I was taken almost killed him and I need all you guys whole._

_This club saved my life Chibs. Ya'll brought me in when I literally had nothing else. This Reaper means the world to me and I would give me life for it and anyone who wears it. For that I thank you._

_I hope I got to tell you straight from my mouth how much I love you. I hope that was the last thing I said to you. I also hope that you said it back to me, because dying without knowing how you feel about me would be a lonely death._

_I don't think I'll be making it back from this. I barely survived the first time. I don't know if I can do it again. I will try though. I will fight until my last possible breath hoping and praying to whatever god will listen to me that you will kick down that door and pull me close to you again._

_The rest of the papers in this packet will help you find me._

_I love you. Always._

_Riley_

Kerrianne was stifling back sobs by the end of the letter. She knew she was going to be taken somehow. If only she had called her and asked her to spend the day with her instead. If only she had done something differently. She watched as Chibs riffled through the rest of the papers.

"Sweetheart did Riley give you anything recently?"

"Aye. A necklace. It was some Nordic thing. She said she knew I didn't believe in it but she said it meant a lot to her that I have it."

"Can ya get it?"

"Aye it's in my purse."

She ran out and grabbed her purse, digging around for the necklace Riley had given her. She pulled it out and looked at it. It was a gorgeous silver looking hammer. Riley had said it was Thor's hammer or something like that. It was really heavy. She ran back into the bedroom and saw her father had his laptop out and his glasses on. She handed him the necklace and Chibs held it in his palm.

He quickly pulled the top off and revealed a pen drive tip. He plugged it into his computer and a gps tracking program popped up. A pin point came up in Oakland. Could that be right? She was so close if it was.

"Da?"

"Hmm?" Chibs replied without looking away from his computer.

"I can transfer this program to your phone."

"What?" he finally looked at her.

"Give me that."

Kerrianne took the laptop form his and hit a few buttons. She grabbed his personal phone, which she had convinced him to update it to a smart phone, and downloaded a few things. Within a few minutes the same picture on his laptop popped up on his phone. She handed it back to him with a small smile.

"Thank ya lass." He said as he kissed her forehead. "I gotta go. Head to the clubhouse. Someone will be there."

"Alright da. Get her back okay?"

She watched as a small smile crept up on his face.

"I will sweet lass."

She walked into her room to pack a bag as she heard her dad run out the door. She had faith that her dad would get Riley back. She had to or she couldn't be able to stand.


	8. Chapter 8

Happy was pushing the limits on his bike heading up towards Oakland. Chibs had called him and told him about the letter and the pen drive. Rat figured out how to send the coordinates to him so he was tracking how to get there. Tig was by his side and neither one of them could deal with going any less than 100 mph.

Chibs was on his way to talk to that whore Althea. She had information that they needed. Between scoping out the warehouse and the information the bitch cop had, they were going to get Riley back. They had all agreed that Riley needed to be the one to kill Brandon but fuck if he didn't want to beat the life out of him.

They pulled up to the gas station that was close to the warehouse and Tig ran inside. He was going to let the manager know they were parking their bikes and going for a walk. Last thing they needed was to roll up to the warehouse like this.

Tig came out the door and they both started jogging towards the wood line across the street from the warehouse.

"FUCK" Happy yelled out.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Tig added in.

There were Irish everywhere. They had vehicles and armed guards literally everywhere. They saw a car roll up and everyone went quiet. A man got out of the car and he heard someone say "Mr. Morey." Shit. Althea was right. That was Rileys dad.

He picked up the phone and text Chibs what they had found out. Hopefully he would be getting some more answers from Althea.

* * *

Chibs looked down at his phone and saw that Happy had found the warehouse and saw Rileys dad. At least now he knew he could trust what Althea was saying.

"Filip! You made it!"

Chibs tried not to throw up at how cheerful the wench was being. He wanted to put a fucking bullet in her skull.

"Aye."

"I am so glad you decided to meet with me."

"I just need some information, Althea."

He watched her smile quickly turn into a frown.

"She's gone Filip. Just accept that."

"This isn't about how I feel about her. She's a member of the club. You were right. I don't belong with her. But as the president I need to make sure she's safe."

"Promise?"

"Aye. Let me get her back and then we will talk about us. I promise ya."

He wanted to punch the fucking smile off Althea's face as soon as it spread across her lips.

"Brandon called me. Said he would help me get you back if I helped him get her back. He has been staying with the Irish this whole time. He was hired by her father to keep an eye on her to make sure she made it back to him once he got out of the Army. Only problem was, she disappeared after he beat the hell out of her. The only way he could stay in their good graces was to get her back."

"All that time? He was with the Irish even when he was in the Army?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"What does her father want with her?"

"I don't know. Brandon never really talked about it. He just said he wanted his property back."

Chibs rolled his jaw at hearing how he talked about the woman he loved. The only good news from this was maybe the father didn't want to actually hurt her. He couldn't start another war with the Irish but they were in pretty good standing with them now or they all would have been dead when they took Riley.

Chibs stood up to talk out of the diner he had met Althea in.

"Wait! Will you call me later?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Chibs hopped on his bike and head up towards Oakland after a quick text to Happy. He was going to have to do this smart. Part of him wished that Jax was still here even if it meant it would end in a god damn blood bath.

* * *

Riley opened her eyes slowly. Her head hurt like no other. She realized that she was laying on a bed that was actually comfortable. She was still in the same clothes, but she was covered with a heavy blanket. She looked over to see that there was a glass of water on the side of the bed. She was incredibly thirsty but she didn't trust Brandon not to spike it.

She could hear talking outside of the door. Some of it was in Gaelic and some in English. It was warm in this room and there was a tv. Alright this was already an improvement from the last time she was kidnapped.

She slowly sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. Her shoes were placed at the side of the bed neatly. On top of a dresser next to the bed she saw that there was a change of clothes and a note.

_Here is a change of clothes for you._

_Ibuprophen is in the night stand under the water._

_Shower is through the white door._

_Come on out when you're ready._

What the hell? She shrugged and head towards the shower after downing a shit ton of pain meds. If she was going to die she may as well die without a headache.

The shower felt fantastic over her sore body. She had no idea how long it had been since she had been taken but she felt gross. She couldn't figure out if it was from sweat or just knowing that Brandon had his hands on her. She tossed her hair into a bun and tossed on the clothes they had for her. They must have been planning for her because they fit and looked just like everything else she wore. She walked into the bedroom and slipped her shoes on before walking towards the door that separated her from the foreign voices.

With a deep breath she confidently opened the door knowing it could be the last thing she ever did.


	9. Chapter 9

Riley looked at everyone standing around her. She didn't recognize a single face. They all looked at her for a minute then went back to what they were doing. She looked around at the exits and saw that the single door leaving the warehouse would be incredibly hard to get to without running past all of the IRA members. She would have to wait. She did notice that Brandon was nowhere to be found.

"Ah you're awake!"

Riley turned to see a tall blonde man walking towards her. She took one step back as if to brace herself or run. She wasn't sure yet what she was going to do.

"Ah ah ah. Calm down lass. I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"Excuse me for the mistrust. I did get knocked out after being dragged away from my club."

The man chuckled and put his hands up. Riley noticed that he was handsome but incredibly young. He couldn't be much more than twenty, maybe twenty one. He was dressed nicely, just like everyone else was in the warehouse.

"Was the bed alright for ya? Hope it wasn't too hot in there."

"It was a little hot but nothing I can't handle."

"Ah. Iraq right?"

"Yeah. Seems like a lifetime ago though."

"Aye. War does that to ya. Are ya hungry?"

"Not really. My head is making my stomach a little queasy."

"Understandable. I think my boss would love ta see ya then."

Riley nodded and followed the man to the far side of the warehouse where there was a door. The man opened up the door and motioned for Riley to walk in. When she walked in she saw a man sitting at the desk and her heart dropped.

"Good morning, Riley."

"Dad?"

* * *

Chibs rolled up to the gas station where Happy and Tig had parked. He pulled his bike next to Happy's and walked towards the wood line. He had gotten a call from the IRA on the way up.

"Prez, why are you so late?"

"Got a call."

"What the fu-"

"Happy, calm down. It was the Irish."

Both men looked at him and went silent.

"Her dad is a King. He wants us to come in. We can keep our weapons but if we misbehave we don't leave."

"What's the plan then?" Happy rasped.

"We go in. He has no reason to hurt us and hopefully he has no reason to hurt his daughter."

* * *

"I haven't seen you in years and all you can do is ask if it's me?"

"I'm sorry dad. Just wasn't expecting to see you sitting at that table."

"Please. Sit."

Riley sat in the seat opposite of her father. He hadn't aged much. What really was throwing her off was the fact that he was a King. She knew that he was into some bad shit, but this was news to her. She figured they had some Irish background but she had never seen a sighting of anyone that had to do with the IRA.

"How is your head?"

"Fine. Took some pain meds."

"Your face is scarred."

"Yeah. Mix between Iraq and your boy Brandon."

"You do know I had no idea how violent he is right?"

"Did you not? You must have read my file. You have access to everything if you're a King."

"I paid him long ago to be with you. I had no idea he would harm you."

"He didn't just harm me. He killed my son."

Riley saw his face break for a split second as he rolled his jaw. He quickly moved his face back to no emotion as he looked at her.

"Did you not know that? I was pregnant. Asshole beat me into labor. Son died soon after delivery."

"No. I had no idea."

"Killed a second kid too. After he killed my girlfriend. I got pregnant and he ordered a Mexican gang to kill her first then they shot me. Miscarried at six weeks."

"Seems like I have some housework to do then."

Riley scoffed at his comment. He had always been such a cold bastard when it came to her.

"Yeah. You do. Why did you let him take me?"

"I wanted to see you. Wanted to know how my daughter was doing."

"Ya know they do have these amazing things called phones, dad."

The sarcasm was practically dripping off her sentence and she was fighting herself, trying to calm herself down. She wanted nothing more than to fly over the table between them and beat the hell out of him. He had always been such an asshole to her and now he let her be kidnapped in front of everyone just to say hi? Fuck that.

"I called your club."

Riley perked up at that statement. Chibs. He must be out his mind at this point. Hopefully he had found her note and was able to find her but this made it that much easier.

"Oh?"

"Yes. They are on their way. I plan to let you go."

"How gracious of you. On what condition?"

"I want your club to take care of a little problem for me."

"What the fuck do you want, dad?"

"I want you to kill Brandon."

"Why can't you just do it?"

"Because he thinks he's getting you."

"The fuck he is!"

"Oh no he is. It will be up to you and your club how this is handled. I can't have his blood on my hands."

Just as Riley was about to stand up the all young blonde came in again and pointed a gun at her head. Two more men followed and zip tied her hands behind her back and slipped a black bag over her head. Riley was beyond pissed as she was kicking trying to fight away from the men.

"I'm sorry Riley. It's up to you if you live or die. Let's see if your club is better at saving you than you were at saving your brother" was the last thing she heard as she was dragged out of the office and thrown into a vehicle.


	10. Chapter 10

Chibs pulled up the warehouse followed by Happy and Tig. They all parked their bikes and dismounted walking quickly towards the open bay door. They could see everyone bustling around moving crates and bags. Chibs assumed it was their guns getting ready to go out on a shipment.

"Gentleman!"

Chibs looked over to see a young man walking towards them. He was tall and blonde. Dressed in a suit just like all the IRA members were.

"Welcome! Mister Morey has been expecting you."

"Aye."

Chibs and his men followed the blonde over to an office. The door swung open and they saw an older man sitting at the desk. When he looked up Chibs immediately knew that it was Rileys father. The eyes were identical.

"Welcome men. I hope you found the place alright."

"Aye we did. Where is Riley?"

"Please. Have a seat."

"You don't have much of an accent for a King." Tig chimed in.

Riley's father looked at them and chuckled lightly. Chibs could see that it was a fake smile and could hear it was even forced. Rileys laugh was always so genuine. He wondered how she came from this man at all.

"That is true, Mister Trager. Though I am part of the IRA I have lived in the States most of my life. It's beneficial to have someone here that doesn't fit the bill of a King."

"Where is Riley?" Chibs asked again.

"Ah. Yes. You must be Chibs. Your Scottish accent and your protective nature over my daughter gave you away."

"I asked ya a question."

"That you did. But please remember that this is my domain."

"I know the game, Morey. I used to be for the cause."

"Ah. Right. Had a little problem with Jimmy O' right?"

"Aye."

"Sorry to hear about your wife."

"I don't give a flying fuck what you are sorry about. Where is Riley?"

"She's gone."

All three men stood up at the same time and pulled their weapons.

"What the fuck do you mean she's gone?" Chibs all but yelled.

"Put your weapons down. Now."

Chibs nodded towards his men after a few moments and they all put their guns away.

"I promised Brandon he could have her. He is not to kill her but I have become aware of his temper towards my daughter."

"You gave your flesh and blood to that animal?" Happy growled.

"A promise is a promise. Now I need you to take care of the problem. I want him dead for killing two heirs. I can't have that blood on my hands so I need you to take care of it."

"We could have taken care of that without putting her in danger!"

"I would hurry up. She's already been there for half the day."

Chibs growled out before standing up and heading towards the door.

"Mister Telford, a moment alone please."

Chibs looked at Happy and Tig before nodding at them.

"They will get the address from my associate outside. As soon as we are done talking you all may go."

Chibs sat back down trying to calm himself down. Riley had said her father was a prick but this was incredibly low. Even Jimmy was protective over Kerrianne and made sure she was safe. This made him want to throw up.

"I have come to find out that you and my daughter are together."

"Aye."

"Good. Last thing I need is an heir that is a mix breed. Brandon did me a favor with getting rid of the child she was carrying with Mister Lowman."

"It nearly killed her."

"Yes. I am aware. I will leave the two of you alone and allow her to be in your MC."

"Thank you?"

"Your welcome. I have a condition though. You will marry her and you will make her bare your children."

"She doesn't want kids after what happened."

"I don't care what she wants. It wasn't a question."

"Don't even know if she can have children."

"You will try after you marry her."

"She isn't a god damn puppet."

"Yes. She is. She is my child and I will determine what is good for her and what is good for her is giving me an heir to take my spot. She is long gone from taking the spot and she allowed her brother to be killed."

"She couldn't save him!'

"SHE SHOULD HAVE DIED TRYING!"

Chibs widened his eyes at the outburst from the normally stoic man.

"You will marry her and give me an heir. You will raise the child or children, whatever works out, and know that when they turn eighteen I may take them away whenever I please."

"And if we refuse?"

"Then she will marry who I wish and bare their children. What happened to Fiona wasn't a rare occurrence. I will do it to you again."

Chibs stared at the man and contemplated putting a bullet in his skull. He needed to get out of the warehouse and get to Riley though. He could deal with this threat later.

"You may go. We will be in touch. I except a married daughter and a grandchild within the next two years."

Chibs shook his head out of anger and walked out of the room. He saw Happy and Tig look at him curious at his horrible mood.

"Let's go kill this fucker. I am so done with the god damn Irish."

* * *

_Riley was laying in the grass under the night sky. She could feel heat coming from her left side and she turned to see Sarah smiling at her. Was she dead? Was this her heaven? She didn't feel dead. She remembered this night and she remembered having this dream before._

_"_ _You aren't dead Riley. Don't you remember? You put up a hell of a fight so they drugged you."_

_Riley had a flashback of thrashing in the darkness. She had placed a kick to someone and heard them scream about a broken nose. She had expected to have the shit beat out of her but instead she just felt a needle in her arm and then not wanting to fight anymore._

_"_ _I always come back to this dream."_

_"_ _Yeah you do. Why?"_

_Riley thought to herself for a minute and looked back up at the sky._

_"_ _I think because this is still my favorite memory."_

_"_ _Don't you have any good memories with Chibs?"_

_Riley rolled on her side to look at Sarah. She put her hands on her face gently almost wondering if she would be able to feel it._

_"_ _Of course I do."_

_'_ _Then why dream about me?"_

_"_ _Because I can't have you."_

_Sarah smiled softly and kissed Riley's lips. It didn't feel right though. They didn't feel like Sarahs lips. Sarah gently dragged her finger down the inside of Riley's arm but it hurt. She looked down to see blood coming from her arm and it hurt a lot._

_"_ _What is happening?"_

_"_ _Fight Riley. Fight out of this."_

* * *

Riley whipped her eyes open to Brandon standing in front of her digging his fingers into a large cut on the inside of her left arm. Riley struggled to get away but she was tied to the chair she was sitting in.

"Ah! Good morning!"

"What the fuck are you doing to me!" Riley growled out.

'Getting rid of this damn bar in your arm. I'm not a doctor though so it's taking me a little- ah! There it is!"

Brandon ripped out the implant in her arm and tossed it on the ground. He wrapped a rag around her arm and pulled it tight causing Riley to hiss out in pain.

"Ya see, I had no idea you had that in last time. I fully expected to find you again with a big belly carrying my child but every time I checked on you to looked the same! I saw you drinking all that alcohol too. I remember how you quit drinking when you were pregnant before so I figured you didn't get pregnant."

Riley held back the bile in her mouth at the memory of Brandon being inside of her. She had been so glad that implant was in her arm stopping a child from happening. She loved her head son but she would never allow a child to come into the world having him as a father.

"Now I looked it up, and you can get pregnant as soon as a week after you get that taken out. Your dad wants an heir and that is exactly what you are going to give him."

Riley spit in Brandons face.

"I would rather die."

"I can arrange that you ungrateful bitch. I will gladly take your life in about ten months. You can either buck up and make this easy or you can be difficult."

Riley spit in his face again and tried to head butt him. Brandon grabbed her face with his hand roughly and pressed his lips to hers. She tried to wiggle away from him but was stopped by a hard slap to the side of her face.

"I will kill Kerrianne if you don't stop."

"You don't lay a god damn hand on her."

"Oooh. You do care about her! I'll tell you what. If you don't play nice with me, I will find her and SHE will bare my children. Her mother was IRA, I am sure her children will be acceptable as future leadership."

Riley's eyes widened. The idea of Kerrianne going through all of this was making her stomach churn. She stopped moving as she tried to figure out a way out of this.

"That is better. You're going to be a good girl for me. I even have something to help you along."

Riley looked up at him and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Where are we?"

"You've been out for a while. I wanted to move us somewhere no one could bother us. No one is going to be looking for you for a while so it will be okay. We can have our fun."

She watched as Brandon come forward with a needle in his hand. She struggled to get away as she watched him get closer.

"Ah ah ah!" he said as he grabbed her arm. "This isn't going to hurt much. It's going to help you realize how much you want this okay? It's going to make it so I don't have to hurt you. It's going to make it all feel amazing!"

"Brandon please don't! I will do whatever you want!"

"Shhh baby I know you will. This is just going to make sure we both enjoy ourselves okay?"

Brandon stuck the needle in her arm and pressed all the fluid into her arm. She slowly started to feel more relaxed and her breathing slowed down. Everything seemed to move more slowly and calmly.

"Can I take the ropes off your hands sweetheart?"

Riley looked up at Brandon and knew she shouldn't be okay with his presence but she didn't seem to mind. She shook her head slowly and waited for him to untie her. After she was untied he ran the back of his fingers across her face and it felt like every neuron in her body was going off. Her mind hated Brandon but the feeling was so amazing she didn't want it to end.

"Ah there we go baby. How do you feel?"

"Good" Riley whispered out loving the sounds she was hearing around her.

Brandon pressed his lips to hers and she loved the pressure he was putting against her. Her mind was screaming at her though. She could hear Sarah telling her "fight this Riley." She opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. This wasn't Chibs. Chibs. She had to fight.

She moved her hands to Brandon's waist when she remembered he had a knife there. She felt him moan against her lips and the vibrations felt amazing.

_Fight this._

She reached across him and felt where the knife was as he coaxed her mouth open with his. He put his hand in her hair and tugged slightly and it made her forget about the knife. She needed to feel more.

_FIGHT HIM RILEY!_

She let him continue to kiss him but she pulled the knife off his pant line. She wrapped her fingers in his hair as he pulled her off the chair. He whipped her against the wall and pressed his body into hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist losing herself in the sensations that were shooting through her body. The mixture of cold on her back and the heat between the two of them was driving her wild.

_RILEY YOU AREN'T FIGHTING!_

She didn't want to hear the voice anymore. She had the knife in her hand but she didn't care. Whatever was pumping through her veins was so much more important than what that bitch of a voice was saying. She felt Brandon grind into her pelvis and she moaned out loudly. Brandon moved to biting and kissing her neck hard and the pain felt glorious. With every bite it snapped her out of her daze a little more.

_Riley I know you're lost right now but you don't want this. Chibs. Think of Chibs!_

Chibs. This should be Chibs. She frowned at the man holding her against the wall. Her son. Sarah. He had hurt all of them. She reached up and felt the deep scar across her face then looked at the knife in her hand. This knife had done that. This man had scarred her in hopes that no one would love her again.

_That's it Riley. Fight._

Riley flipped the knife open just as Brandon looked up at her with a smile on his face. She met his smile and drove the knife into his throat. She heard the front door kick open but she looked into Brandon's eyes as he gasped for air looking like he didn't understand what was happening.

* * *

Chibs kicked in the door and immediately saw Riley pinned up against the wall. Her legs were wrapped around Brandon's waist and blood was all over her hand. They were looking into each others eyes and panting. He saw her legs slowly lower to the ground and Brandon started slumping forward.

The three men charged forward and pulled Brandon off of her. Chibs caught her right as she started to fall, a bloody knife still in her hand. Her eyes were hazy and she was staring at her hand.

"Lass, look at me. Riley, look at me."

He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her up to look at him. She had a hazy smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Chibs. She told me to fight. She told me to fight for you."

"Who did?"

"Sarah. She told me to fight until you got here. She told me to not give in."

"Okay lass. Let's go."

"Boss." Happy yelled from across the room.

Chibs looked over to see Happy holding up a small plastic bar and a needle.

"Wasn't her birth control a bar in her arm?"

Chibs looked down to see that her arm was cut wide open. She checked her other arm and saw a needle mark.

"Take that needle with ya. I wanna know what he doped her up with."

Happy nodded and put everything in his jacket pocket. He walked over and tossed Riley over his shoulder. He listened to her giggle and moan. There must have been some type of ecstasy in that needle. They got outside and Happy placed her on her feet. She staggered and clung onto Happy trying to run her hands over his face. He looked at Chibs like he wanted to hit her.

"There is no way with how she is reacting to everything that she is going to handle riding a bike."

Chibs laughed at the thought and ran his fingers through his hair. He had seen a motel about two miles down the road. She needed to come down off of whatever she was on. He walked towards her and pulled her into his chest.

'Riley my love."

"Mmm?"

"Can you hold onto me while we ride the bike for a few minutes? We gotta get down the road so we can get some rest."

"I love you."

"I love you too Riley. Can you hold on super tight for me?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

Chibs led her to his bike and motioned for Happy to help. He sat down and Happy guided her onto the bike behind him. He looked over to see Happy placing a helmet on her head and wrapped a rope around her, tying her to Chibs.

"If that was ecstasy in her system these vibrations are going to set her over the edge. I don't want her falling off."

Chibs chuckled and waited for him to finish tying her. He could hear her giggling and felt her forehead go against his back.

"Alright lass, I'm gonna start the bike so I need you to hold on really really tight for me okay?"

"Okay."

Chibs started up the bike and heard Riley moan out incredibly loud. He looked over to see Tig laughing and Happy shaking his head. He could feel her shaking behind him but she held on tightly as he took off. He drove as fast as possible to the motel and parked, shutting the bike off. He could hear Riley panting behind him and he tried not to laugh.

He quickly untied her and watched as Tig ran inside for a key. He came out quickly and Chibs pulled Riley into the bedroom before anyone in the parking lot could notice how fucked up she was. He laid her on the bed and started stitching up her arm. The three men tried not to laugh as she begged someone to fuck her like the bike did.

As much as Chibs hated that Riley was fucked up, at least she was safe. Brandon was dead and would never be a problem again. He was dreading telling her about her fathers conditions but right now he just needed to make sure she came down from this high in one piece and without trying to fuck someone in the room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chibs was laying in bed looking at Riley. It had taken hours for her to come down from whatever high she had been on. As much as he wanted to step out and smoke, he didn't want to leave her alone. It's not that he didn't trust Tig or Happy, okay maybe that was part of it. She was begging anyone and anything to take care of her needs that needle forced her to have.

He couldn't help but laugh to himself. He never saw Riley even drink much anymore let alone do any drugs. He could see why now. She alternated between sobbing because she couldn't think clearly and finding pleasure in everything. As much as he loved the compliment that his voice was "better than sex" he knew she wouldn't be saying that normally.

He heard the door open and saw Happy walk in. He and Tig had gone to get some food and coffee He had told them both to get some sleep but they all stayed up to help keep a hand on Riley.

"She out?"

"Aye. Finally. You get a hold of Rat?"

"Yeah. He's on his way. Should be here in about an hour. Figured the van would be best in case she has some type of hang over. Whatever that shit was, it was strong."

Chibs looked back at Riley and nodded. He was still pissed about everything. What kind of father would throw his daughter to the wolves like that? He knew that Riley could take care of herself. That was even more obvious now that she had killed Brandon. What scared him was what she would have gone through alone in that building as messed up as she was.

"I called Althea."

Happys voice snapped Chibs out of his thoughts.

"Aye?"

"Yeah. Told her there is a needle of something that needs to be processed. Said it would work her towards your good graces."

"And she fell for that shite?"

Happy chuckled and nodded his head. What a stupid bitch to think that he would ever think he could forgive her. In all honestly it was a club decision anyway. All the guys wanted her dead so It was going to be up to Riley anyway. Her vote could swing it.

"Mind watching her so I can take a shower?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. Tig should be back in with the coffee in a few anyway. He was calling Alvarez."

Chibs nodded and looked at Riley one more time before walking towards the shower. As much as the immediate danger was gone, there was still a lot he needed to talk to both Riley and the club about. He couldn't help but hope that she was still out of it when she was awake so he had more time to figure out how to talk to her.

* * *

_Riley opened her eyes to see the stars above her. She blinked a few times remembering this place and time better than any other. This time she wasn't confused though. She was either dreaming or she really was dead. Probably just dreaming though._

_"_ _I'm sorry I am back again, Sarah."_

_"_ _Don't be sorry. It's not like I don't miss you."_

_"_ _Is this just a figment of my imagination or are you really here?"_

_"_ _Depends on what you believe in."_

_Riley sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted so badly to believe that she could be connected with Sarah again. She really didn't know if she believed in it though. Plus, if she did believe in it she would probably find any way possible to keep getting knocked out. That was the only time she saw her._

_"_ _I am so proud of you."_

_Riley turned to look at Sarah. Her face was just as beautiful as she always remembered, but every time she saw her in these weird dream like states it always took her breath away._

_"_ _Of me?"_

_"_ _Yes, sweetheart. You fought him."_

_"_ _I could hear you. You were telling me to fight."_

_"_ _I always want you to fight."_

_"_ _Why did you say to fight because of Chibs though? Why not fight because of you?"_

_Sarah placed her small hand on Rileys face and smiled sadly._

_"_ _Because he is your future Riley. I am your past. You can fight in memory of your past, but you need to always fight for your future. Chibs loves you."_

_"_ _And I love him… but.. it doesn't change how I feel for you."_

_"_ _I know silly woman. I don't doubt your love for me. You need to let go of some of that pain though. Just because you love Chibs doesn't mean you don't have a place for me."_

_Riley felt tears fall down her face. She closed her eyes trying to make them stop but they just came out more._

_"_ _It's okay to cry. It's okay to miss those you love. It's not okay to let it ruin your future though. Chibs is your future. The club is your future. They are your family."_

_"_ _I just wish I could see you again."_

_"_ _It seems to me you will. What is the chance you won't ever get knocked out again?"_

_Riley laughed and pulled Sarah into her. She wrapped her arms around her and held her close. She knew she would wake up again but for now she would hold onto the woman that she would always love._

* * *

Riley opened her eyes and winced at the bright light. She quickly pulled the pillow over her face and groaned. She peeked back over the pillow to see Chibs sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her.

"Too bright?"

"Fuck." She grumbled.

She saw that the light diminished so she pulled the pillow away. Happy was by the curtains and Tig was passed out in the other bed. She looked over to see that it was after one. She assumed that meant one in the afternoon since it was so damn bright.

"How long was I out for?"

"A few hours. Wanted to let you sleep. Rat is here though. You're gonna ride in the van."

Riley tried to sit up and instantly felt her stomach roll. She dashed to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilet. She felt Chibs holding her hair back and rubbing her back.

"Maybe we should get you to the hospital."

"I feel like I should be dead."

She heard the sink run then felt a cold washcloth on the back of her neck. It wasn't fixing how she felt but it felt great.

"Take a few minutes. We will get you in the van and get you to St. Thomas. We're gonna test whatever was in that needle. Should be hearing back soon on whatever it was. That way we can tell the doctors what the hell is going on."

Riley groaned as she stood up. She felt Chibs wrap her in his arms and even as sick as she felt, his embrace felt amazing. She sighed into his chest and heard him chuckle.

"I barely remember last night. Whatever I did.. I am so sorry."

"Don't worry about it my love. We will talk about it later when we know you are okay."

Riley nodded and started to walk towards the door. She dreaded the light and right before the door opened she felt Tig slip his sunglasses on her face. She shot him an appreciative smile right before she walked outside. Even with the sunglasses the sunlight still hurt. She felt her stomach turn again but she fought it knowing that the back of the van would be dark. She quickly climbed in and curled up on the floor, pulling a blanket on top of her.

"We're gonna be right near you the whole time my love."

Riley nodded hoping that he could see her movements. She just wanted to sleep off whatever the hell this was.

* * *

Chibs and the van pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. The rest of the guys had broken off to go to the clubhouse and get some sleep. Chibs was tired but he wasn't going to leave Riley alone. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't sleep in the room once she got in there, but he would at least be there. Happy had called ahead so when he walked into the waiting room, there was a nurse waiting for him. She was standing by a wheelchair and wanted Riley to be in it until they figured out exactly what was wrong.

He walked outside followed by the nurse and slowly opened the van door. Riley was still curled up on the floor so Chibs scooped her out. He left the blanket over her face knowing how much the sun had been bothering her. He nodded at the nurse and decided to just carry her inside.

Once they got inside he set her down on the chair and pulled the blanket down carefully. Her eyes were open but she looked miserable. He brushed the hair out of her face which earned him a small smile for the woman. Her skin looked almost grey.

"Alright, love, they're gonna take you to a room. They're gonna draw some blood and do some tests. You want me to come with you?"

"Yeah. Please."

Chibs kissed her forehead before he stood up. He nodded towards the nurse and followed them down a hallways and into a room. There was a set up ready to take her blood next to the bed. He helped Riley into the bed.

"We need to get her into a gown. Can you help her or would you like someone else to come in?"

"I got her. Anything else ya need?"

"Just in the gown. I will keep the lights dimmed and will leave a note on the door so no one flips them on. Just press the nurse call button when you're done."

He nodded at the nurse and moved to Riley. She was already starting to pull her shirt off. He could see how out of it she still was. Her normally blue eyes were a very pale grey. Her skin had lost its pale healthy color and almost matched her eyes. She had bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept in years. She hadn't spoken much but even when she did she had lost the beautiful ring he was used to hearing.

"Do ya want me to help you?"

"I can do it."

"Riley, my love, please talk to me."

"I hurt. My whole body hurts. I feel cold and hot all at the same time. I barely remember everything one second and the next I remember it all."

"What do you remember."

"My father. Brandon. Dreaming of Sarah, again. Knowing that I needed to fight but feeling the high throughout my body and not wanting to. I heard Sarah screaming in my head that I needed to fight. I needed to fight for you. I saw the look in Brandon's eyes as he died. I finally saw it and I can barely fucking remember it."

Chibs listened to everything she was saying. She was in so much pain. He had thought all of the pain was from coming down from the drugs but everything was hurting. She was just as hurt from the loss of memories as she was from the drugs.

"You haven't really had much time to heal yet, love. We're going to find out what was in the needle and make sure you're okay. I am here for you."

He watched as a few tears fell from her face. Other than the tears she showed no emotion. That was fairly normal for her but this time was different. She was shutting down.

"Riley."

She looked at Chibs as more tears fell from her face. He placed his hands on her face and looked her in the eyes.

"I love you."

Riley started crying more and looked down.

"I never thought I would hear you say that again." She whispered.

"I told ya lass. I would find you. I will always find you until you decide you don't want to be found. Now let's get you undressed so they can get you feeling better."

Riley smiled fully for the first time since she was found. Chibs couldn't help but smile back. All the other bullshit could be worried about tomorrow. Right now it was his job to make sure that the most beautiful smile in the world stayed planted on the face of the woman he loved.

* * *

Riley stretched as she opened her eyes. She had been given some sleeping meds once they figured out she just needed to sleep off the rest of the impacts of the drugs. The light coming through the cracks of the door didn't make her head ache anymore. She looked over to see Chibs curled up in the chair next to her bed. She smiled softly at the man. He looked so peaceful for once.

Riley sat up slowly wondering if it would hurt like it did before. She was pleased to feel that she was almost back to normal. She slowly and quietly walked towards the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and noted how much brighter her skin looked. She still looked like she was sick but much less than before. She slowly ran her finger down the scars on her face. She assumed most women would be mortified to be covered in scars like this. Not her though.

The scars on her face told a story not even her words could. Her tattoos could be figured out but her scars were always a mystery to anyone who didn't know her. They served as a constant reminder.

On one side, she would always be reminded not to trust the wrong people. She loved Brandon. She was never quite in love with him the way she should have been, but she did care about him. He took almost everything from her. She would never be that weak again.

On the other side was the scar she earned trying to save her brother. It was almost ironic. He had always told her she was the beautiful innocent one from the two. He would crack jokes about how she got all the beauty from the family. When she had failed him, so did her beauty. She thought of him every time she looked in the mirror.

They had the same eyes. Her son did too. Most siblings always talked about how they couldn't see how they looked like the other, but she always did. Even more so now that he was gone. She would have given her life for him and although she knew she tried the best she could, the scar was a reminder that it wasn't good enough.

She frowned as she looked at every raggedy line down that side of her face. She had been at peace with everything. She knew she did her best. Her father's words cut her deep. He had thrown her to Brandon and the last crack he made was about her not saving his son.

"I hate it when ya frown."

Riley looked up in the mirror to see Chibs standing in the doorway. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the frame. He had a soft look on his face that she had found was reserved for her and his daughter.

Kerrianne.

"Have you called your daughter?"

"Aye. She wants to see ya. We're leaving soon as long as ya think you're okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am good. I'm ready to get home. I'll never sleep right here."

Chibs nodded and looked down at the ground. Riley could tell there was something wrong. He would normally be much more talkative.

"What is wrong, sweetheart?"

Chibs looked at her and she saw something there. Pain? It was more than that. It was a look she had never seen on him before.

"Come sit down with me."

Riley followed him back into the hospital room and sat on her bed next to him. She leaned back into her pillow and wrapped the blanket over her. She wasn't usually cold but the fact all she had on was a gown was starting to get to her.

"When we came and found ya, it was partly from your gift and partly because your da called you."

"He called? I thought he was just fucking with me."

"Aye. Called me directly. When we got there he told us that you were with Brandon. Shite got heated. He asked Hap and Tig to leave. Wanted to have a chat with the man who was with his daughter."

"What did he say?"

"Told me he was glad his daughter ended up with someone who understands the cause. Said he knew about me and what happened with Fiona."

Riley looked down at her hands not knowing what to say. He didn't talk about Fiona much but the fact that her own father knew about it pissed her off.

"He then told me that he wants to see us wed. He wants us to pop some babies out. Said they would be heirs to his throne or some shit."

"He has no fucking right to say anything about me!"

"I know Lass. I told him the same thing. He said if we don't do what he expects us to then I'd never see you again. Said that you would be taken away just like Fiona was."

Riley watched as tears welled up in Chibs' eyes. She reached forward and touched his face. Fear. That was the look she couldn't pinpoint before. He was afraid. More so he was afraid of losing her.

"He won't take me away from you."

"We both know we don't know that for sure."

Riley swallowed hard knowing he was right. She didn't know a lot about the Irish but if they were able to whisk her away like that they could again. They didn't even try to hide what they were doing.

"We have time. We will figure something out okay?"

Chibs looked at her and she could tell he was thinking. More than that his mind was racing. His eyes danced across her face. He was chewing the inside of his lip.

"Truth be told, Riley, I been wanting to ask you to marry me for a long time."

Riley's eyes widened as the words.

"I hate that the whole topic was brought up in a hospital after I told you about your da's threats. You deserve a candle lit beach with wine and roses. You deserve so much more than I can ever give you."

Riley looked down at her hands not knowing what to say.

"Riley, I would give you my whole world. I'd give my life for you any day of my life. Can I start by giving you my last name?"


	12. Chapter 12

Riley was sitting on the roof when Happy found her. She had been up there for hours just watching the stars and listening to music. She didn't look over as he sat down next to her and flopped back close enough that their shoulders were touching.

"He send you up here?"

"Nah. Figured I'd check on you since he's been drinking the whole bar."

Riley scoffed and shook her head. It's not like she was really happy either.

"He can drink all he wants. It doesn't change anything."

"You're right."

Riley turned her head to look at Happy. He was staring at the stars too. He had the same stoic look he always had on his face. He was her best friend though. She knew he was worried.

"It's not like I told him to fuck off. All I told him was I didn't want to get married just because my fuck of a father demanded it."

"I don't think that's why he wants to get married."

"It's part of it though, Hap. He's terrified he will drag me away just like Jimmy dragged away Fiona."

"Anyone would be afraid of that."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Riley sighed knowing that Happy was right. As much as she didn't want to admit it he was absolutely right.

"He tell you my father demanded we have children."

"No. Why does he want you to have kids?"

"Said he needs heirs to his throne since I let my brother die."

"That's fuck up, Ri."

"Yeah I know."

"Where does Chibs land on all of it?"

"He wants all of it. He wants us to get married and play happy fucking family."

"You don't?"

"Hap I never wanted that. Chibs already has a daughter who is almost my age for Christ sake. We're in a fucking motorcycle club who runs porn studios. Could you imagine us having a daughter? She would grow up seeing all of that or being taken away to be part of the IRA."

"You tell him that?"

"Yeah. He just keeps telling me "Aye, Lass, it will all be okay." Every time I tell him."

Happy laughed when Riley mimicked Chibs' accent. She was really good at it though she didn't often do it.

"Maybe it will be okay."

"Yeah and maybe it won't be. I can't bring a child into this world. Not into my world and not into my fathers."

Happy looked at her and nodded.

"You gotta tell him that."

"He needs to sober up and realize I didn't tell him no."

"Well, I don't think he's going to sober up anytime soon."

"Well, I don't think I'm going to be coming down from this roof anytime soon."

"Looks like I'm not either."

Riley and Happy sat on the roof until the sun started coming up. They talked about Happys mom and how he grew up. Riley talked about her brother and some of the crazy things they did growing up. Happy asked her about Iraq and for once Riley told him everything.

She talked about the dark nights only lit up by the gunfire flying overhead. She told him about the whole attack where she lost her brother. She zoned out letting herself fully remember the whole fight. When she felt the tears sting her eyes and noticed that Happy saw them, he told her about his first kill and how it fucked with his head.

As they fell into a comfortable silence while the sun rose in the sky, Riley felt a sharp pain in her chest. Happy was always so relaxed around her. Even though he admitted he would do anything for her, including changing his whole life, he was still there for her when she chose someone else. She wondered if she would have been that strong if the tables had been reversed.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Did you love me? Back when all of the shit happened."

"You should know the answer to that."

"Be straight with me, Hap."

"Yeah. Of course I love you."

"Like one of the brothers of the club?"

"I don't fuck them."

Happy and Riley both laughed out at his response. He had a point. Although they shared that comradery he sure as hell didn't try to bend any of the guys over if given the chance.

"Ri, if I could love anyone in the world in the traditional sense, it would be you. You and me, we're cut from the same cloth. We're killers. We don't dote on the touchy feely shit. We do what we have to do, fuck who we have to fuck and then we drink to remember or we drink to forget. We're warriors."

Riley nodded knowing that he was right.

"Why don't you ever let anyone in?"

Happy sighed and looked at his hands. She didn't see the pensive Happy very often but she looked forward to it when she did get to see it. She craved his truth, especially when she was confused.

"Remember when you were stripping with that crow-eater on the stage?"

"Which time" Riley laughed out.

"The time when you were doing it to get back at Chibs."

"Yeah."

"You told me that you couldn't let him in because he would die just like everyone else."

"I remember."

"That's why I don't let anyone in. My job is to kill. It isn't to love. I like my job. I like everything around me as convenient and loose as the rest of my life. Pain clouds your judgment. Connections can kill. You're a smart girl Riley. Every time you've been hurt was trying to keep those connections alive or to try to make the pain go away."

"You think I'm weak."

"No, Ri. Far from it. You're one tough ass bitch. Maybe the toughest I know besides my mom. You just choose to let people in. Do I think it's wrong? No. It makes you human."

"Oh so you're some superhuman god?" Riley laughed.

"Only in the bedroom, girl." Happy smirked back.

They laughed together and Riley felt her cheeks go red. They didn't often talk sexually around each other anymore. It made Chibs uncomfortable knowing that they knew each other in that way so they stopped bantering like that.

"I used to be so cold."

"I know. When you first showed up I thought you were a contracted killer to take someone out."

"I saw you holding your piece to the side."

"Huh. I must be slipping then."

Riley laughed and pushed on Happys shoulder. She missed being able to sit and talk with him like this. So much bullshit had been going on lately that she didn't have much time to do anything.

"Today is Sarah's birthday."

"Shit. I didn't know"

"I don't think anyone did. I fucking miss her."

"I know you do Ri. We all do. Let's go for a ride. We can grab some flowers and go see her."

"You don't mind?"

"What? You think you're the only one who has been to her grave?"

Riley smiled towards Happy at the thought. She had just assumed she was the only one who ever went there. She had figured that when she died no one would ever even know who she was. She was fairly new to town and no one ever knew her other than the "lesbian chick dating the woman son."

The two got up and walked towards the hatch to climb down. Riley felt good feeling happy for once. She had so much stress on her in the past few years and smiling didn't always happen. When she climbed down and saw Chibs knocking back more whiskey she rolled her eyes. She saw the crow eater behind the bar leaning forward so far that her tits were almost falling out. She scoffed and continued to walk through the club house not giving a damn about anything but having a good day with Happy and going to visit Sarah.

* * *

Happy didn't have many favorite things in life, but being on a bike was one of them. He had quickly discovered that riding next to Riley made the list also. It felt so natural, like she had always been riding next to him.

They had stopped for flowers at the local shop. The old sheriffs wife had been running it but a local took over when she died. They always had beautiful flowers out front and they were always willing to help the club even when the rest of the town wanted them gone.

As they pulled up to the cemetery he could feel the difference in Riley. Instead of looking confident she looked stiff. Her riding style changed along with her body language. They pulled up and parked on the side of the road. He walked over to Riley and draped his arm around her shoulders. He felt her relax slightly under his embrace but she was still looking nervous.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No. I do."

They walked up slowly to the gravestone they were looking for. There were flowers on the headstone that looked like they came from a gas station. Riley looked at the card and smiled. Happy looked over her shoulder and saw that it was from Tig. Tig had taken some time to go up to Washington to see Venus. She had moved up there to be with her son and it had taken its toll on their relationship.

"What do you normally do when you visit her?"

"I sing to her. Sometimes I talked to her about how things are going and sometimes I just cry."

"Don't see you cry very often, Ri."

"Yeah. I know. I always felt like I could around Sarah. Now I still do."

Happy watched Riley sit down in front of the gravestone and run her fingers across the letters. He could tell it wasn't the first time she had done that. It was very graceful and delicate. It seemed foreign coming from her. She was always so tough and rough. Seeing her feminine and soft was nice. He sometimes forgot that she was a woman because of how rough they all were together. Happy sat down next to her and placed his hand on the gravestone.

"Thank you for coming with me, Hap."

"Anything for you, Ri."

Riley looked up at him and he saw a smile there he hadn't seen in a long time. It was one of completion. She was relaxed and wasn't worrying about anything. He could see the demons gone in her eyes and what he saw was breathtaking. He could see just how deep blue her eyes were and he missed it. He found it funny that he missed something that he had never seen before. Maybe it was that he would miss it as soon as it was gone. He knew that as soon as they left this place or changed the subject he would see the demons again.

He remembered a picture that Riley had shown him from before she went to Iraq. That was exactly what she looked like now. She had more scars and honestly she had a gimp from all the damage she had gone through, but the look in her eyes was there now. He realized that he was staring into her eyes for longer than he meant to when she tilted her head to the side and smirked.

"Take a picture Hap, lasts longer."

Happy realized that he wishes he could take a picture right now. There weren't a whole lot of memories he wanted to remember but this was one of them. It was peaceful. His life was never peaceful. His life had been hell from beginning to now. He always tried to take the bad with the good, but there wasn't much good to remember. His life was full of meaningless sex and putting bullets in anyone who crossed him or the club.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her words snapped Happy out of his thoughts.

"That this feeling of peace is weird."

Riley laughed and her voice rang out in the quiet cemetery.

"Yeah. It is weird isn't it. I guess it's fitting."

"Why is that?"

"Because Sarah always brought us peace. She was the kind one. She was the one who took care of us when shit hit the fan."

"Alright, girl. We're getting too mushy here."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's head out."

He watched as Riley kisses the headstone and rest her forehead against it. He watched her sigh and stand up, pausing for a moment with hand on the stone. She turned and looked at him and half smiled. The demons were back in her eyes as she turned to frown at something behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chibs woke up to the light shifting onto his face. He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He wasn't sure was time it was, but what he was sure of was how massive the hangover was he would have all day. He peeked out at his alarm clock and saw that it said 3:12. Since it was so sunny he was assuming that it was in the afternoon.

He closed his eyes and remembered Happy and Riley leaving. He hadn't really put a bottle down since she told him she didn't want to get married. He knew deep down why she was saying everything, but to be honest he was scared.

He was scared that she would be ripped away like Fiona was. He was also scared of pissing the Irish off because every time he did a lot of people died around him. What really terrified him though was the idea that Riley was saying no because she really didn't want to marry him.

They had been through hell and high water to be together. He had been wanting to marry her since before Fiona died, but now that he really was a single man it was something that could actually happen. What if she really didn't want everything he did?

He could understand not having kids. She already accepted Kerrianne as one of her own. The two girls were great together. They didn't even know if she could have kids though. They easily could get her to a doctor and get documentation that she couldn't have kids. That would stop her father. The not wanting to get married is what was messing with him the most.

He rolled out of bed and instantly put his sunglasses on. He tossed some clothes on not even remembering taking any of them off in the first place. He grabbed a water bottle off his table and saw that there was a note on it.

_If you're ready to actually talk without a glass in your hand, I'm in the garage. -Ri_

Chibs chugged the bottle of water and walked out of the room. He saw that the prospects were cleaning up the clubhouse and decided to just head straight for the garage. He paused right in front of the doors knowing that even with his sunglasses the sun was going to kill him. He stepped out and winced at the searing pain in his head. He let himself adjust for a minute as he lit a cigarette. Looking over at the garage he could see two sets of legs under a vehicle.

He walked over quietly hoping to hear what Happy and Riley were talking about. Happy's bike was the only one there other than his and Riley's so he was assuming that's who was under the car with him.

"You need to tell him."

"Jesus Christ, Hap. I will fucking tell him."

"Today."

"If you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to drop this fucking car on your head." Riley snapped.

Happy started laughing but stopped when Chibs started speaking.

"Hap, mind if I have a few minutes with my woman?"

Happy slid out from under the car and nodded at him. He watched as Rileys feet started to slowly disappear underneath the car and Happy grabbed one, ripping her out into view. Riley scowled at him but Happy rasped out a loud laugh. He pat Chibs on the shoulder and walked towards the clubhouse.

Even hungover Chibs could see how beautiful Riley was. Her hair was too bright though and the sun was shining off of it worse than the direct sun.

"Can we go inside the office? Your hair is going to make me vomit."

Riley smiled and nodded leading the way into the garage. She took a seat at the table and sorted through the paperwork quickly. She turned and looked at Chibs and he knew he must look like hell by the soft smile on her face.

"Ya said we needed to talk."

"Yeah. I left the note there to begin with a day ago, but you drank your way right past it."

"I'm sorry, lass."

"It's okay. I just know we have a lot to talk about. Even more so now that Happy and I went to the cemetery."

Chibs raised one eyebrow not liking the sound of her last sentence. He had always know the connection that Happy and his woman had, but he was always warry of it. Sometimes he just didn't understand Riley and in those moments it seemed to be Happy who did.

"Jesus Christ Chibs. You really think three days of you drinking is going to make me hop into bed with him? You do realize it took someone I was in love with dying for that to happen right?"

Chibs chuckled and shook his head.

"Never know. The two of you could have killed half of the Mayans again and decided to fuck it off."

Riley laughed and shook her head while rolling her eyes. He loved hearing her laugh and seeing her beautiful smile.

"No, but we did have a run in with my dad."

"What?"

"Yeah. It's a long story but you need to hear all of it."

* * *

_Riley frowned feeling all of her pain and heartache come back just at the sight of her father. She noticed Happy tense up so she gently placed her hand on his chest so her father wouldn't notice. He relaxed some but his jaw stayed tense._

_"_ _How did you know to find me here, dad?"_

_"_ _After our talk I did some research into Brandon and everything that happened. You left the clubhouse and I noticed that it was Sarah's birthday today. You're your mothers daughter so I assumed you would be here."_

_"_ _Should I expect a bag over my head and to be tossed into a van today?"_

_"_ _No."_

_"_ _Then why are you here?"_

_She watched her father look at Happy and scowl._

_"_ _Do you always have a body guard?"_

_"_ _Not her guard, but I'm not leaving either." Happy rasped out._

_Riley stepped forward once to bring her fathers attention back to her. As much as she didn't need Happy there she was glad that he was. She was sure he wouldn't be as ballsy if she had someone there with her._

_"_ _What can I help you with today, dad." She put emphasis on dad and made sure it wasn't actually a question._

_"_ _I wanted to thank you for taking care of Brandon."_

_Riley scoffed and crossed her arms._

_"_ _He drugged me. He ripped out my birth control from my arm then tried to rape me while I was hopped up on drugs. It took me two days in the hospital and a lot of testing to recover from all that shit."_

_"_ _Who killed him."_

_"_ _I did."_

_"_ _Drugged?"_

_"_ _Yep. Stabbed him in the throat with his own knife."_

_"_ _That is actually very impressive, my daughter."_

_"_ _Oh now I'm your daughter? Not just the bitch that couldn't save your son?"_

_Riley's father looked at her and rolled his jaw. She knew that if Happy were not there she could have been slapped across the face for that comment._

_"_ _Did Mr. Telford talk to you about my conditions for you staying with the club?"_

_"_ _Yeah. He told me. I'm not doing it."_

_"_ _I figured you would say as much. I also thought about it. I took a look at your medical files and he was right when he said you probably can't have children. Brandon did a number on you."_

_"_ _Where are you going with this?"_

_"_ _If you don't marry Chibs and try, I'll be making a different arrangement for you."_

_"_ _What the fuck does that mean?"_

_"_ _It means that if you can't have kids with the Scott you will be married off to someone else that will benefit me."_

_Riley felt rage run through her. Her mother would never let this bullshit happen. Hell, she would never let this happen._

_"_ _I'm not a fucking bargaining tip."_

_"_ _Oh but you are. You see the IRA wants to make stronger connections with the wet backs here in the states. Alvarez has a wife, but his son is of age now. That would be a pretty powerful connection."_

_"_ _You son of a bitch." Happy growled._

_"_ _You'll watch your mouth around me, biker. This doesn't even pertain to you. Riley will find out the whole plan soon."_

_"_ _What the hell does that mean dad?"_

_"_ _It means that Alvarez has another plan in mind. I'm going to meet with him soon."_

_Riley stood in shock at what her father was saying. What kind of play was that? Marrying Chibs she understood. It kept the whole IRA line going. Marrying who Alvarez wanted? Why would Alvarez want that? Was it a Mexican thing? She watched as her father walked away and got into his expensive blacked out SUV. She turned and looked at Happy and saw that he looked just as confused as she was._

* * *

Chibs listened to her story and kept quiet. He knew two things immediately; he was scared of what her father would say and he hated her father with an intensity he never knew existed. He wasn't happy about the fact he was pushing what he wanted on her and hated that he had a backup plan if his daughter didn't think Chibs was good enough.

"You still with me Chibs?"

"Aye. I'm here."

"Want to talk?"

"I think there isn't much to talk about until you find out what is going on."

"Chibs I-"

"I'm gonna head inside. Let me know if you hear from your da."

Chibs got up and walked away. Before he could turn away he saw the disappointment on Riley's face. He couldn't talk about this right now. He was hurt. Now she not only had said she didn't want to get married to him, but now she was saying no when she had a threat of another marriage being thrown at her.

He walked into the club house and sat at the bar as he picked up a bottle of whiskey, smiling at the croweater behind the bar.


	14. Chapter 14

Riley sighed and put her head in her hands. She understood Chibs being upset, but he wasn't the one being told get married or deal with the consequences. He wanted to get married regardless. She didn't.

"That not go very well?"

Riley picked her head up and saw Happy standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"What was your first clue?"

She heard Happy chuckle as he turned and walked back into the garage. She followed him in and climbed back under the car she was working on. After a few minutes of silence, she felt a hand on her ankle and she got pulled out from under the car. She was about to protest until she saw Kerrianne standing above her.

"Hey hun. What's up?"

"What's going on with you and da? Ya haven't been home since ya got back."

Riley sighed and sat up, wiping her hands on her pants. She had been avoiding the girl, that was for sure. She stood up and walked over to a table by the side of the building. Kerrianne sat down and motioned for Riley to sit next to her.

"My dad helped Brandon take me."

"Your da?"

"Yeah. He is a king but is placed here in the states."

"Christ."

"Yeah I know. He talked with your dad and told us either get married and give him grandchildren to be pulled into the IRA when they're of age or he will take me and make me marry whoever he wishes."

"Who doesn't want to get married?"

"I don't."

"Do you love my da?"

"Of course I do. I just don't want to get married. I don't want to have kids."

"You've never wanted kids?"

"I had a son."

"Had."

"Yeah. Brandon beat me pretty good when I was eight months pregnant. I had him soon after. He died in my arms."

"Jesus Christ. I wouldn't want kids either."

"Your dad is really upset with me. He won't talk to me. He just keeps drinking and doing whatever. I tried talking to him today but it just didn't work."

"Ya coulda called me ya know. Why don't ya come home?"

"I will. I'm sorry you've been left all alone through this. Wasn't fair to you."

"I'm just glad yer home Riley. I missed ya."

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

Riley put her arm around Kerrianne's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She really had missed the girl. The two of them had become close before she was taken and without her she never would have been found.

* * *

Happy watched the two women talk. It drove him crazy that Chibs was acting the way that he was. Every part of him was telling him to go in and kick the shit out of the man until he got his head out of his ass. He knew it was a bad idea though. He got up and walked towards the clubhouse wanting to get changed. When he walked in he saw Chibs flirting with the croweater behind the bar and it really pissed him off.

"Chibs. Can we talk?"

Chibs looked at him and nodded then looked at the croweater. She scurried away but anyone could see the disappointment on her face.

"What are you doing, man."

"I don't think it's much of your business, Hap."

"I know. You're pushing her away though."

"I don't give a fuck, Hap. I just don't care."

Happy watched him pull his phone out and text someone and snap the phone shut. Almost immediately the phone went off and he smirked at whatever he saw. He snapped the phone closed, downed the rest of his drink and set the glass on the table.

"I have some business to get to, so if you're done."

"Yeah. I'm done. Need anyone to ride with you?"

"Nah. Ain't club business."

Happy watched as he walked out the door and shook his head. All this bullshit was putting the president in a bad place. He had seen him upset before, but to be leaving two women he cared about outside while he took off was unlike him. Happy turned to the prospect and waved him over.

"Follow Chibs. Don't let him see you. Don't let him know you're there. Call or text me when you find out where he is."

"I, uh, he's the president."

"I fucking know what he is. I told you to do something."

He watched the prospect scramble outside and heard a car turn on. He wasn't sure what the hell Chibs was up to but he had seen this shit before. Jax had withdrawn from everyone and everything when faced with real shit and now Chibs was doing the same shit.

* * *

Chibs hopped on his bike not bothering to really look at Riley and his daughter. He saw when he walked out they were sitting together and talking. They were both smiling until he walked out. He noticed that Riley sat up straight when he got on his bike. He just didn't care anymore. He needed to get his mind off all of this.

He drove out and headed across town. He had made this drive a thousand times before, more than even the rest of the club knew. You see, they had ordered him to do it to an extent but they never knew just how far he had gone with it.

He grimaced knowing that this choice would change everything. He considered turning back and pulling Riley into his arms. God he missed her. He wanted nothing more than to embrace her and tell her everything would be okay.

Would it?

If he turned around right now would everything go back to how it was? The image of her killing Brandon flashed through his head. He had never been so proud. Even drugged she was able to take care of the threat around her. When she had falling into his arms it was the best feeling he had ever felt.

He had been so damn nervous when he asked her to marry him. Truth be told he had been wanting to for so long, especially since Fiona had died. It freed up his whole life like he had never even imagined it could. He spent months in Ireland trying to find the perfect way to propose to her. Part of him wondered if all of this would have been avoided if he had asked her sooner.

He frowned again. What did it matter? She didn't want to get married. Even as a last ditch effort to get away from her father. She didn't want him. She didn't want what he could give her.

He decided at that moment, as he shut his bike off, that he didn't care anymore. If she didn't want him, he wasn't going to wait around.

"I was almost wondering if you changed your mind."

"I almost did."

"You're here though."

"Aye. I'm here."

Chibs got off his bike and looked at the woman in front of her.

"I ain't promising you anything."

"I know."

"As long as you know that."

"Come inside?"

He nodded and followed her inside. As she turned on him and pressed her lips to his he let his mind forget about Riley, even if just for a few hours.

* * *

Happy's phone starting ringing in his pocket. He had been waiting for the phone call so he waited in the club house, not wanting to tip Riley off to his suspicions.

"Yeah."

_"Uh.. Happy.. I uh.. I found Chibs."_

"Where is he."

_"You aren't gonna like this."_

"Tell me."

_"He just went into Officer Jerry's house. Hap I can see them through the window on the couch. I thought he was with Riley?"_

Happy slammed the phone shut and punched a hole in the wall.


	15. Chapter 15

Riley walked inside the clubhouse and immediately stopped when she saw the blood on the floor. She pulled her pistol out when she saw it and motioned for Kerrianne to go back outside. She couldn't figure out why there would be blood on the floor when no one came in the front gate. She slowly turned the corner, looking back for a second to make sure Kerrianne had listened to her. She didn't see her so she was assuming that she did.

She followed the trail of blood down the hallway and it ended in front of the bathroom. She pushed the door open slightly and saw that Happy was leaning over the sink rinsing his hand off. She sighed and pushed the door open the rest of the way.

"Jesus Hap, I thought someone hurt you."

"Yeah. Hurt me? You do realize who you're talking to right?"

"Yes, Hap. What the hell happened."

"Help me clean this shit up and I'll let you know."

Riley wrapped a towel around his hand and led him out to the couches. She sat down turned to the side and placed his hand across her lap. She carefully cleaned his wounds and determined he would need some stiches.

"Kerrianne!"

She watched as the door popped open and Kerrianne walked in.

"Aye?"

"Can you get me my kit in my room?"

"Aye."

She turned to Happy and noticed he looked pretty pissed. He wasn't one to show much pain so she was assuming it didn't have much to do with that.

"Hap what is going on. Why did you punch the wall? You need stiches by the way."

"I figured as much. Wait until Kerrianne comes back and leaves."

"Is it club business?"

"No. It's Chibs business."

"She's not a child, Hap. She can hear it."

"Hear what?"

Riley turned to see Kerrianne walking towards her with the kit in hand. She took the kit from her and smiled immediately pulling the equipment she needed from it and starting to stich Happy's hand.

"Alright he's your dad so if you don't want to hear shit about him, leave."

"I think I can handle it."

Happy looked down, watching Riley work her magic. She smirked knowing that he loved this shit, he was just more likely to be causing the injuries than fixing them. She figured that's why they worked so well together. They were able to kill and heal almost anything together.

"I had the prospect follow Chibs when he left here."

"What? Why?" Riley almost yelled.

"I came in here and tried to talk to him. He was texting someone and took off right after. Told me he doesn't give a shit about anything anymore. Jax used to do the same shit."

"You're afraid he's going to do something stupid?"

"I know he's doing something stupid. He's at Althea's house."

Riley felt her heart drop.

"Why is she there?"

"I didn't get an exact play by play, but the prospect said he could see them through the window and then was asking about you two being together."

"That asshole is fucking her."

"I think so."

"Find out. Now."

Riley watched Happy type on his phone then his phone went off immediately. He turned the phone so she could read it.

_What exactly did you see through the window?_

**_First they were making out, now they disappeared but left their clothes behind._ **

_You sure?_

**_Positive. Is Riley okay?_ **

Riley handed the phone back and packed up all her medical supplies. She quietly got up and walked towards her room. She walked inside and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Kerrianne couldn't believe what she had just heard. She knew her da always did what he wanted when him and her ma were together, but she had always just assumed that because Jimmy took them away. He had sworn he loved Riley. She knew things were hard for them all right now, but why would he jump into bed with that gash when he knew that would hurt more than anything.

"Hap, why would he do that?"

"I don't know."

"She's the one who helped Riley get taken!"

"I know."

"You need to stop him."

"No. He made his bed."

"Happy, I know you don't know me. But please. I don't wanna lose Riley because my da is a shite."

"She cares a lot more about you than that. She isn't gonna ditch you because your dad is a slut."

Kerrianne looked down but she didn't believe him. She walked over to the bar and sat down not sure of what to do. Why would he let her move out here, get her used to having Riley around then shag the closest whore around. Actually if he wanted to do that he would be with a croweater. He was surrounded by easy ass. Instead he went out of his way to find someone that would hurt Riley. If this was what relationships were like in the States she didn't want one.

* * *

Chibs was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. He had figured he would choke up and not go through with all of this. But here he was lying in bed next to a naked Althea. He was only looking for a quick release and distraction but that had turned into hours of multiple rounds of sex.

He had fucked up and he knew it.

It wasn't just like sleeping with someone he didn't care about. He had forgotten how much he cared about Althea at one point. Being that close to her brought it all back. Remembering her quirks and ticks had come back so easily.

"What are you thinking about Filip?"

"A lot."

"Like what?"

"Is this a therapy session now?"

"No. Just figured I'd ask since you've been staring at the same spot on my ceiling for an hour now."

"I fucked up."

He looked down to see Althea grimacing.

"I should have ended things with Riley a different way if that's what I wanted. This isn't fair to her. I also realized those feelings I once had for you aren't that easy to forget."

"I know you need to leave. But please come back."

"I can't promise you anything."

"I know."

"You can't come to the clubhouse either. No matter what happened between me and Riley romantically she is still a part of the club. That comes first."

"I know."

Chibs got out of bed and started getting dressed. He watched Althea light up a cigarette and pull the blanket up on her. She had a small smile playing on her lips and it kind of pissed him off. He understood she was happy he was there but he also knew that smirk was due to the fact that he just broke Riley's heart.

Riley.

He froze for a minute realizing he would need to face her. He would need to look her in the eyes and tell her that he just fucked the woman who almost killed her.

His heart sank in his chest and he felt nauseous. This was more of a mistake than he had even realized a few minute prior.

He climbed on his bike and started to realize that he would never hold Riley in his arms again. He would never kiss her soft lips before he fell asleep and he would never wake up to her smiling face. It's not like he would never see her again, but she would never allow herself to be vulnerable with him again.

He had spent so much time working on her to let him in and he just threw it away for a few hours with Althea. A lifetime. He had thrown away a lifetime.

He let the thoughts and pain rush through him as he drove back to the clubhouse. As he drove in he saw the back of Riley's head as she worked on a vehicle. She was wearing her normal clothes and her hair was down. He backed his bike into his spot and turned it off. As he got off of the bike he saw Happy open the door the clubhouse and cross his arms. His hand was bandaged and he looked pissed. He looked at Riley and shook his head, turning to walk back into the clubhouse.

Riley turned to look at Chibs. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Her scars looked even more prominent. The only time he had ever seen them so bright was when she had been crying. She crossed her arms and had absolutely no emotion on her face.

She knew.


	16. Chapter 16

Riley had spent a few hours in her room packing all of Chibs things. It took a lot longer than she had wanted it to because she kept finding Sarah's things as well. It was becoming ironic to her that Sarah's items were less painful to see than Chibs'. The longer it took to pack up his stuff and the longer it took for him to get back the more pissed she got.

The whole situation was fucked up. She was being forced to marry someone when she didn't want marriage. She was told who she had to marry and when it would happen. Now to top it off, the man she loved was fucking the woman who almost had her killed. She felt like a bad romance novel based around a motorcycle club.

She remembered talking with the women in Iraq. They were all forced to marry who their fathers wanted and do what was demanded from the men in their life. She always felt bad for them. They had such a hard life but looking at them now, she was living the same damn thing under the guise of freedom. Did she fight her whole life for this?

A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. Her breathing caught in her chest and she contemplated pulling out her pistol. Before she could react the door swung open.

"Ri, can I come in?"

She sighed out when she saw Happy standing in the doorway.

"Yeah. You can come in."

He walked in, shutting the door behind him. She was surprised when he sat on the floor next to her and picked up the shirts that were folded.

"These Sarahs?"

"Yeah. No matter how much I clean up in here I keep finding stuff of hers. I tried packing it up months ago."

"Don't know why. You fit in all of it."

"I thought it would make me feel better."

"Did it?"

"No. I felt like I was trying to forget about her."

"I don't see a problem with having her shirts. You'd wear them if she were still here."

Riley smiled at Happy before putting the pile of Sarahs shirts on top of hers. She picked up the whole pile and put it in her dresser. She frowned at how few clothes she had now that she had cleaned out what wasn't hers.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Riley turned and sat down in front of Happy. She continued to go through the box of things she had been sorting before.

"I just don't get it ya know? I mean I do. He's pissed I won't marry him. Why couldn't he just break it off though? Fuck a croweater or something. Get shit faced and screw a bimbo that looks nothing like me. That I would understand. But this?"

"I know."

"Althea. Of all people. It wasn't just a slap in the face it was a fucking stab in the back."

"I'm sorry you found out from me."

"Ya know? I'm not."

"You should have heard it from him."

"Yeah but it makes sense that it came from you. You knew how to tell me. You're my best friend Hap."

She looked up to see Happy actually smiling. She smiled back at him and sighed. Even though all of this shit had blown up in her face she felt considerably better just having Happy in the room with her. She didn't want things to change, but all of the frustration and turmoil had really brought her down. Her heart ached but thinking about all of this finally being over, one way or the other, made her feel better.

"What are you gonna do?"

Riley sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Part of me wants to just rip him apart. I gotta be smart about it though. I work here. I live here. I'm part of the club. I don't want to rip apart shit just because he can't keep his dick to himself."

"You have a right to be mad, Ri."

"Yeah but I can't let my rage rip apart the club."

She watched Happy think for a little while. He nodded his head and stood up.

"Whatever you do, I'm here. I get what you're saying though."

Happy reached his hand out and Riley grabbed onto it. Happy pulled her into a quick half hug, patting her on the back. Riley pulled away and looked up at him with a half-smile. It was time to figure out everything no matter how bad it would get.

She stepped out of her room and saw Kerrianne sitting at the bar holding a glass of water. She walked over and as soon as Kerrianne noticed she was there she turned and hugged her tight.

"I know my da fucked up, but please don't hate me."

Riley pulled the girl off of her and looked her in the eyes. She could see that Kerrianne had been crying and it made tears well up in her eyes. Is that what she thought would happen?

"Oh hun, I don't hate you. I don't even hate your dad. I'm just done with it. I'm not going anywhere and as long as you want to be here neither are you. Okay?"

She saw a smile spread across Kerrianne's face right before she leaned in for another hug. Riley tried to hold back the tears but this was already harder than she thought it would be. She expected to break down around Chibs, not because his daughter was afraid of her hating her.

Riley pulled away and forced a smile before she turned to walk out of the clubhouse. She didn't know how long it would take for Chibs to get back but she needed to get some work done out in the garage. There were vehicles that needed to be done regardless of her relationship status. She looked down to see that she was still in her normal clothes, but she didn't feel like going to get changed. To be entirely honest her room smelled like Chibs and it hurt her stomach.

She got to work on the first car just mindlessly working until she heard a bike roll in behind her. No one else was expected to be in since Church wasn't until the next morning. She kept her back turned not sure how she was going to react to seeing him. For hours she was furious until now. She had wanted him to come back more than anything but now she just wanted him to leave again.

She heard the bike turn off and two footsteps meaning he was off the bike. She turned around and crossed her arms. She had no idea how she felt. She just stared at him and saw the fear and pain on his face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Happy disappear back into the clubhouse. She assumed he wouldn't want anything to do with this bullshit.

A flash of realization came across Chibs' face as he continued to stare at her. She took a few steps forward out of the garage feeling the hot sun on her skin. Normally it felt amazing but today it made her feel even more uncomfortable. She thought about being the first to speak but she decided that she would make him sweat first.

"You, uh, workin on the cars to be picked up tomorrow."

"Yep."

She kept her arms crossed over her chest and continued to stare forward at Chibs. She could tell he was nervous by the way he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground.

"Kerrianne inside?"

"Yeah."

"Alright well I'm gonna go check on her. Haven't seen her in a few days."

Chibs turned away and started walking towards the club house.

"You could have just broken up with me instead of fucking the woman who almost killed me."

Chibs froze in his tracks for a few moments before he turned around and faced her. The look on his face was something she had never seen before. She couldn't figure out if he was pissed or hurt. Maybe both?

"Aye, and ya didn't have to not make up yer mind."

"Oh, so me not wanting to be force married to someone means you can put your dick wherever you want to?"

"Ya didn't seem too pissed that yer da wanted ya ta marry someone else!"

"I was telling you what happened, not telling you I was marrying someone else, you fuck!"

"Ya still didn't want to marry me!"

"You wouldn't even fucking talk to me, you stubborn son of a bitch! You ran away and buried your worries and pain in someone else's pussy! Even worse I had to find out from a god damn prospect! You're not even man enough to talk to me but you can fuck the day away!"

She watched as Chibs stalked towards her. She stood still not wanting to show any type of fear. She thought about swinging as soon as he got close but was shocked when he slammed his lips into hers. She shoved him away and punched him in the chest.

"You still taste like her fucking rancid snatch. I heard you fucks treated your women like shit but I thought maybe, just MAYBE I would be different considering I wear the same fucking patch that you do. I thought maybe since you saw all the shit I have been through you wouldn't tear me like fucking shit. You worked so fucking hard to get me to trust you then you stab me in the fucking back. I'm not some stupid fucking bimbo who worships the ground you walk on. You're my president so I will always respect that, but I sure as fuck will never see you as more. Don't ever touch me again."

Riley walked past him, making sure her shoulder was tight as she checked his. She didn't turn around to see but she could hear he hadn't moved. She walked into the clubhouse and sat down just as her phone started ringing. She flipped the phone open without seeing who it was.

"Hello?"

_"_ _I need to talk to you, Riley."_

"Dad?"

_"_ _Bring Happy."_

The line went dead and she slapped the phone close as she put her head on the counter. She really needed a drink but instead she would be heading towards a meeting with the man she had no interest in seeing.


	17. Chapter 17

Chibs froze in place after Riley's fist connected with his chest. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hit her or throw her into a wall. What he did know is it hurt like hell. He sometimes would forget how strong she was. What hurt worse was the sting of rejection he was feeling.

"You still taste like her fucking rancid snatch. I heard you fucks treated your women like shit but I thought maybe, just MAYBE I would be different considering I wear the same fucking patch that you do. I thought maybe since you saw all the shit I have been through you wouldn't treat me like fucking shit. You worked so fucking hard to get me to trust you then you stab me in the fucking back. I'm not some stupid fucking bimbo who worships the ground you walk on. You're my president so I will always respect that, but I sure as fuck will never see you as more. Don't ever touch me again."

Riley pushed past him and checked his shoulder. Chibs couldn't move. He felt his chest caving in as he kept replaying everything she said to him. He was hurt by her not wanting to marry him but he broke her heart. He kept thinking back and he wasn't sure that he had ever really broken anyone's heart before.

Fiona had broken his. It had nearly killed him. He had barely spoken to anyone after he got his scars. It took him a really long time to fight those demons. His mind flashed to the beautiful blue eyes that had just told him to never touch her again.

His chest hurt.

He walked over to the garage and sat at the desk. He looked down and saw a check list Riley had written. There were a few doodles on the side and it made him smile. She always had to be busy. She never sat still for long.

His smile quickly turned to a frown. When Sarah had died Riley stopped doodling. She stopped running and working out too. He came to the realization that if her heart was broken, she would act the same way. She still lived so close to him but everything would change.

She wouldn't laugh out, a laugh that normally filled the clubhouse making everyone smile. She wouldn't smile a smile that filled his heart. She also wouldn't joke with him in a way that her smile would shine through her eyes.

He then thought of something even worse. What if she still was smiling?

That would mean the smile, the laugh and the jokes were back. It would mean that she was over him. It could even mean that she was in love with someone else.

He didn't think his chest could hurt any more than it did at that moment. He felt as if a knife was deep in his sternum.

His phone went off and he opened it to a text.

" _Thinking of you"_

"Thanks."

_"_ _I take it she didn't kill you."_

"She may as well have."

_"_ _I have the next few days off. Stay with me."_

"I'll think about it. G2g."

He snapped his phone shut just as he saw Happy and Riley walk out of the clubhouse. They both were frowning but they walked together towards their bikes. Without a word they climbed on their bikes and took off. He noticed that his phone was still flashing. He looked in his messages to see that Riley had text him.

_"_ _Dad called. Wants to see me and Hap park. Keep u updated."_

Chibs put his head in his hands while leaning forwards in the chair. Not only did he fuck up his relationship but he didn't even know what the hell was going on with his club. He felt like he was reliving Jax's life.

* * *

Happy didn't feel the normal feeling riding next to Riley this time. He was worried about her. He had seen her pretend like there was nothing wrong when Sarah had died and even though she had talked to him about Chibs it just didn't feel like she was really processing all of it. Going to see her father this soon after such a huge betrayal didn't seem like a good idea.

They rolled up to the park and Happy snapped himself out his thoughts. He didn't trust Riley's father at all. He had been so hell bent on him not being around when he was talking to his daughter but now all of a sudden he demanded he be around as well. As much as he was glad he would be around for this meeting, being told to be there didn't sit well with him.

"He didn't really give me a time, so I'm assuming he's already here."

"Alright. Near the fountain?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They walked together but they were both on edge. Riley had made sure she had her pistol with her when they left which meant she didn't really trust her father either. Not that he could blame her. He had a feeling he didn't even know the extent of fucked up shit he had done to his daughter.

As they approached the fountain, he saw a few men in suits standing near a picnic table. They walked over and as they got closer he could see her father sitting at the table next to someone.

"Is that Alvarez?"

"Jesus. Yes." Riley growled.

Happy normally would have laughed at how alike her and his growl sounded now. Instead he put his hand on his pistol not liking that everyone around him was carrying. Every fiber in his body was telling him it was a trap. Alvarez had set them all up and now here he was sitting with an Irish King.

"Ah! Riley. Happy. There you are." Her father said too cheerfully.

"Yeah, we're here. Alvarez." Riley responded.

"Nice to see you again, mama."

"Yeah the last time I saw you I was being dragged away to be murdered."

"Wasn't personal, straight business Riley." Her father responded.

Happy scoffed. Her father almost sounded like he was scolding her.

"Not that I don't want to be, but why am I here?"

He watched the King look at him for the first time. His eyes looked like Rileys but they harbored none of the same kindness and love that hers had. The major difference in their appearance was really how shitty of a person her father was. It was like as much as she radiated love and acceptance he radiated hate and evil.

"All in due time, Mr. Lowman. Please. Sit."

"Dad, we don't have a lot of time. I don't want to deal with the bullshit."

"Very well. I heard about your breakup with Chibs."

"We aren't here to talk about my love life."

"Ah but we are."

Happy placed his hand on Riley's shoulder and nodded at her when she turned to him. This was normal for them. She had a bigger temper than him when it came to most situations. He loved pulling the trigger but he knew when it wasn't a great idea.

"Alright Riley, I told you that if you decided not to marry Chibs I would be making other arrangements. I had in mind you marrying Alvarez or his son, but since they're both married I needed a new plan. Alvarez has a great idea honestly."

Happy looked at Alvarez and noticed how uncomfortable he looked. They had a great relationship with the Mayans, other than the first pesky Brandon situation but Alvarez had been gone for that. When he had betrayed them, allowing Riley to be taken, Happy had considered killing him.

"Riley, your father insists that you get married and he wants us to have a good relationship. When I helped him I know it fucked with the trust you have for us."

"That is an understatement" Happy rasped.

"My son is married and I am too. Plus, I don't think most of my club would like a white girl around all the time."

Happy looked at Riley to see her arms crossed and her glaring at Alvarez. She was pissed enough when her father was telling her to get married to someone, let alone someone who almost had her killed.

"What he is getting at Riley, is you still will be getting married. Your connection with me links you to the IRA. Now we need a strong connection with the Sons."

"It is already fucking strong. I'm a patched in member."

"That means nothing to me. You will marry someone in your club. Someone from the Redwood Originals. I don't care who it is, but it will happen. I suggest you make your decision soon. I'll call you in a few days to hear what your decision is."

"What does this do for you dad?"

"The Mayans and I have a business relationship. Me securing a relationship with the Sons is good for business. End of story."

"I'm a patched member! I pretty much have to die to get out of the club."

"If you're a wife they will make sure even more so that you're safe. You aren't swaying me on this Riley. Happy, make sure she chooses."

"You don't really get to tell us what to do." Happy snapped.

"Ah but I do and you seem to be the one she listens to. Figure it out."

Happy growled as he watched all the IRA get up and leave. He looked at Riley to see her face unreadable.

"Alvarez, what is your game here?" Happy asked.

"Sorry, man, I had to make a decision for her. Figured she'd be safest with you guys."

"He's right Hap. If I'm going to be forced to marry someone, it may as well be one of the guys. It won't really change anything. I'm there all the time anyway."

Happy went to respond to her but she cut him off quickly.

"I want to go home."

Happy nodded and started walking with Riley towards their bikes. He knew meeting with her father this soon was a bad idea. He wasn't sure how to feel about all of this but he did know he needed to get Riley back to the clubhouse so she could calm down.

* * *

Riley was trying to find the right word to describe how she felt. Angry? No. Furious? Not strong enough. She contemplated finding a thesaurus in her room but she didn't want to get off the roof. It had long ago turned dark so she didn't even need to worry about the sun beating down on her anymore.

She tried being mad at Alvarez. The idea of someone telling her what to do was bad enough but she should be out for murder when it came to Alvarez. Instead she felt grateful for him. He was giving her a choice in a shitty situation. He was allowing her to stay safe in the club that she belonged with. A piece of paper that her father wanted wouldn't change anything if she didn't want it to.

Shit had already gone to hell with Chibs. What would a piece of paper with someone else do? It actually could probably help if a court case came up. Whatever person was on that paper couldn't testify against the other. She smirked realizing that this may benefit her more than her father expected.

Now it was just figuring out who she was going to actually choose. She refused to marry Chibs. It would be far too weird and she didn't even want to really talk to him unless she had to. Tiggy was still gone. Could she really marry Tig? The idea kind of creeped her out. He was like a weird step father to her. Rat was already married to Brooke. TO had been married forever it seemed. Quinn was still legally married to his ex wife. That man married quicker than she ate her lunch. That only really left her with one person.

Happy.

It could be beneficial to marry Happy. They were best friends. They also were most likely to be getting into trouble together, which would make that whole can't testify in court thing helpful. Happy wasn't looking to marry anyone since he really didn't do relationships either so it wouldn't be an issue down the road.

Would it be weird though? It wasn't a secret that she cared about him. He cared about her too. He was ready to drop his whole lifestyle to make her happy.

Riley shook her head not knowing how to feel about marrying Happy. Part of her loved the logical aspect of it. It made sense. But there was also this part deep in her chest that fluttered thinking about looking at him declaring "forever".

She needed a drink.

She stood up to walk over to the hatch and noticed Tig standing by it.

"Tiggy!"

Riley ran over and hugged him. She had missed his creepy ass around the clubhouse. She laughed as he spun her around making sure his arms were wrapped tightly around her.

"How are you, doll?"

"Better now that you're back."

"Oh you make an old man smile. You heading downstairs? Was hoping we could catch up."

"We can stay up here."

Riley felt a smile on her face and missed the feeling. They walked over and sat down where she had been sitting before.

"You're back now?"

"Yeah. Venus will be back in a few days."

"So you guys are good?"

"Yep. Back to normal."

"That's awesome Tiggy. Can't wait to meet her."

She saw Tig smile at her but it faded quickly.

"So you and Chibs?"

"He fucked Althea."

"Jesus Christ. Of all the stupid fucking.. I'm so sorry Riley."

"It's whatever at this point. I'm done with it. If he can't stay with me during hard shit it's better to be done with it."

"Yeah I guess. Hap said you guys just met with your dad?"

"Yeah. He wanted to let me know I still need to get married."

"To Chibs?"

"No. To someone in the club. He wants to "solidify his relationship with the Sons."

"You're patched though."

"I tried telling him that. He doesn't give a shit. He wants to solidify it and the only way he thinks that can happen is if I'm married to another member. He think I'll be safer."

"Jesus. How long do you have to decide, doll?"

"He said a few days."

"I'd marry ya, doll but I think Venus would have a shit fit."

"Thanks for the offer, Tiggy."

They both started laughing at the awkwardness of the situation. It wasn't every day that it was a possibility to marry anyone around you.

"You know what I could use Ri?"

"What Tiggy?"

"A fucking drink. Let's go get drunk."

"Sounds like a great idea to me!"

They both got up and head towards the hatch. It had been a long time since the two of them had been able to sit and drink together. They had a lot of lost time to make up for, and Riley wanted to start making up for it at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

* * *

Chibs was still sitting in the office when Riley and Happy got back. Riley seemed off. He wasn't sure how to describe it but she just didn't seem okay. He stood up and watched from the doorway as she spoke softly to Happy and walked towards the clubhouse. Happy turned and look at Chibs.

"Everything alright?"

"No."

"Anything I should be worried about?"

"I don't know."

"Hap, if this is club related I need to know."

"Why don't you go talk to her?"

"I don't think she wants to talk to me."

"Can you blame her?"

"Do we have a fucking problem Hap?"

Happy walked towards him with a balled fist.

"Yeah we do have a fucking problem."

Happy's fist connected with his face before he could even blink. As much as he wanted to fight back he just took it. It didn't hurt nearly as much as knowing he broke Riley's heart.

"You almost ripped this fucking club apart, Chibs. Do you realize that? This is so much bigger than your hurt fucking feelings. You stabbed a member in the fucking back."

Chibs stood up straight and wiped the blood from under his eye. He wasn't sure how big the cut was but he was sure he would need to take care of it later.

"Her father. You know, the Irish King? Yeah he still wants her to get married. Now he's demanding its someone from this club. Do you get that? One of your brothers has to marry her to appease the fucking IRA instead of you because you couldn't keep your fucking dick where it belonged."

Chibs' heart sank. He had it stuck in his head that they just needed to keep her safe. Now she would need to take someone else's name and at least pretend to have a life with them to keep her father happy. He was going to be replaced by someone else, someone he knew and considered family.

"What would you have done if she had lashed out? She could have taken the club down in a second and none of us could have even stopped it. Do you remember the whole shit with Juice? He almost ruined us and he didn't even have a broken heart! What the fuck were you thinking."

"I wasn't thinking. But Riley wouldn't do that."

"Why is it I'm the only one who doesn't fucking date but I'm the one who can see how bad a scorned woman can be?"

"Is she okay?"

"You don't have the right to ask that. Get your head on straight or I'll be dragging you into that ring. I'll make sure your eyes match again."

Chibs nodded and walked over to the mirror. The cut wasn't as bad as he had guessed. He wiped the cut with a paper towel noticing the bleeding had already pretty much stopped.

He had no idea how to deal with the whole Riley situation. What he did know was he needed to get his president hat on and start worrying about the club. They needed to figure this out on the club side. He had no idea how to separate his personal life from the club life but if he learned anything from Jax, it was that he could easily destroy the club if he didn't.


	18. Chapter 18

Her head was spinning as she pulled herself up the ladder. Tig had long ago passed out on the pool table trying to out dance Riley and a few of the crow eaters. It had been a great night, but it was time for her to get some clarity. She giggled at herself wanting clarity when the whole world was moving out of control.

"Riley."

She looked down to see a pretty croweater looking up at her. She didn't ever notice her before, but it's not like she had been around much with everything going on. She was on the taller side and busty. The angle that Riley was at she could see right down her shirt.

"Yeah? I uh didn't catch your name though."

"They normally call me Sugar."

Sugar had a very heavy southern accent. It fit her very well even if it made her sound like even more of a hooker.

"Nice to meet you, Sugar. Can I help you with something?"

She watched a smile spread across Sugars face and she'd be lying if she said it didn't turn her on. She tried to chalk it up to the alcohol but the red head in front of her was sexy as hell. She wore clothes that both complimented and showed off her sexy curvy body. She was sure she was wearing a push up bra, but she wasn't complaining.

"Want some company, sweetheart?"

Riley saw a flash of lust come across Sugar's face and she knew exactly what she meant. She slowly got herself back down the ladder and steadied herself, trying not to look as drunk as she was.

"All the guys go to bed?"

Sugar laughed lightly and it brought a smile to Riley's face. She wasn't like the other girls around here. Not saying she didn't get around, but she wasn't fake. From what she could see her tits were real and she didn't have twenty pounds of makeup on around her fake dyed hairline.

"I do what I have to stay, but I would much prefer your company over any of the other members."

Sugar put her hand on her hip and looked Riley up from top to bottom while slowly licking her lips. Her actions made Rileys core heat up in a way it hadn't in a while. There was something about a woman being straight forward with her that got her going like nothing else.

"You have somewhere to sleep tonight, Sugar?"

"I was hoping I'd be waking up next to you sweetheart."

Riley smirked and reached her hand out to Sugar. Sugar smiled back at her and hooked her fingers with hers as Riley led them down the hallway. Right as she reached the door, she pulled Sugar forward and pushed her backwards into the closed door. When she pressed her body against Sugars, she heard the sweet sound of a moan come through Sugars lips. Riley smiled and pressed her lips to Sugars roughly as she pushed the door open.

The two walked into the room frantically kissing each other and pulling clothes off. Riley kicked the door closed behind her and broke from Sugar long enough to lock the door. She ran her hands up Sugars exposed sides which allowed her to slide her hands back and unhook her bra. Sugar helped her get the straps off her arms as Riley pushed her back towards the bed gently. The red heads knees hit the bed, causing her to sit down abruptly.

Riley looked at the busty ginger sitting on her bed and couldn't hide the grin. Her body was flawless in the best ways. She had been right about her not being fake. Not a damn thing about this womans body was fake.

"You just gonna stand there or you gonna finish what we started sweetheart?"

"Just admiring your body, goddess."

Sugar laughed and reached forward pulling Riley closer to her. She quickly undressed Riley, making sure to fold her cut neatly on the stand next to the bed. She then stood up and pushed Riley onto the bed.

Riley smiled and moaned softly as Sugar climbed on top of her and covered her mouth with hers. Her mouth tasted sweet, like flavored vodka, and Riley let herself get lost in the soft touch and pleasure that she was feeling. Honestly she had missed the touch of a woman and Sugar knew exactly what she was doing.

* * *

Chibs walked into the clubhouse to see Tig passed out on the pool table. He chuckled to himself realizing that the man in front of him would never change. He must have worked things out with Venus though because he didn't have a few crow eaters draped across him.

The party couldn't have been too crazy, there really wasn't anyone passed out. He spotted a door open down the hallway and saw Happy walk out.

"You want church now?"

"Nah. Let's give everyone some time to get here. We gotta get Tiggy sobered up anyway. I'm sure he'll be feelin like shite this morning"

"Yeah Riley too. She kept up with him. He actually was out before she was."

"Christ."

Happy laughed and they both turned towards the hallway when they heard a door open. A busty red head that was new in the area walked out pulling her shirt down. Chibs quickly realized that it was Riley's room she was walking out of. He felt the pang of jealousy almost immediately.

"Mornin boys. Want me to make some coffee for ya?"

Happy nodded at her then turned and looked at him.

"You can't say shit about this. We're all allowed to fuck crow eaters when we want to."

"Aye. I know."

Chibs walked into chapel and sat down at his chair. He mentally kicked himself for being pissed at Riley. He knew soon she would be legally bound to one of the other members so he really needed to get used to seeing her with someone else.

He had royally fucked up.

He turned to a knock on the open door and saw the red head standing with a cup of coffee.

"Hap said you like it black?"

"Aye. You can bring it in."

She sauntered into the room and set the cup on the table. He could see where Riley found her attractive. She wasn't a twig like most of the girls but she looked great. He spotted a few hickeys on her neck and it made his dick twitch. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering to the idea of this woman and Riley fucking.

"Ya need anything else, sweetheart?"

Her southern twang pulling him out of his incredibly dirty thoughts and he shook his head.

"No, lass. That is all. Thank ye."

The woman nodded and turned to head back into the barroom. Riley had walked out and her pale skin showed off the matching hickeys the red head had given her. She smiled at Happy but ignored the woman. Though it wasn't unusual to ignore a croweater it was new for Riley to do so. She was always so nice to them. Now she had literally used one for sex and cast her to the side.

He watched Happy poke at Riley's neck and they both laughed. There was that laugh he had been dreading. It was a laugh he had hoped was reserved for him. Here she was though laughing with another member. She didn't need him, not like he needed her.

* * *

Happy tried not to laugh at the look on Chibs face when Sugar walked out of Riley's room. He had heard them the night before after he tossed out the fake blonde he had dragged back to his room, so seeing her walk out was no surprise to him. He hadn't fucked Sugar yet, but maybe he could talk Riley into sharing her one night if she staked her claim.

He was sipping on his coffee when Riley walked out of her room. She had a soft smile on her face and seemed much more relaxed than she had been in a long time. She walked up and smiled at him and took his coffee.

"First off, get your own fucking coffee. Second, what the fuck is this? Are you sixteen?"

He poked her hickeys and she laughed while her face turned a light pink. She didn't blush often but it usually was due to him picking on her. He smiled at her loving the fact that she seemed happy if even for a while.

"I needed to blow off some steam."

"Sure sounded like you were screaming off some steam."

"Wasn't me."

"That would be me, sweetheart. Sorry if I kept ya awake darling." Sugar said as she handed Riley a fresh cup of coffee.

Riley handed Happy's back to him and took a drink out of the fresh cup. He noticed that other than taking the cup, Riley really didn't even look at Sugar. He smirked realizing she had done what any of the other guys would have done. When you're upset with either kill or fuck. She chose to fuck.

"When is church?"

"Whenever everyone gets here. We gotta wake Tig up."

"I'm up." Tig grumbled. "What did I miss?"

"Riley fucked the red head and I had to listen to them screaming and moaning all night."

"God damn it. Now I'm hung over and horny."

"There is fresh coffee in the kitchen."

They watched Tig basically crawl off the pool table and slowly walk towards the kitchen with his hand on his head. Happy held back a laugh until he heard Riley laughing. She actually seemed back to normal even though she went shot for shot with Tig. Tig must be getting old.

"Hey Hap, can I talk to you for a bit? At least until everyone gets here?"

Happy looked at Riley and she seemed nervous. He frowned already missing her smile and laugh. It always made the clubhouse a much more fun place to be when it was filled with her laughter.

"Yeah, let's go outside."

They walked outside and sat at the picnic table. They both lit up a cigarette and sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You just trying to get outside or do you actually need to talk?"

"No, I do. Just not sure how to bring it up."

"What's up?"

"I sat and thought a lot after meeting with my father. I'm not gonna fight with him. If he thinks a stupid piece of paper will solidify his life, then okay. I'll marry someone here."

"Alright. You talk to Chibs?"

"It doesn't really have anything to do with him until I have to talk to the club."

"So you aren't gonna marry him."

"That didn't sound like a question."

"Just making sure I know what you're thinking."

"Hap, I know we aren't a thing. We never really have been. I thought about what you said though. We're the same. We don't let connections hold us down. We both need to stay pretty clear of feelings to do our job right."

"Yeah."

"Would you think I was insane if I thought it would be smart for us to get married?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, I have to get married. It's not like you're gonna want to any time soon to anyone else. Plus, if we get in trouble we couldn't testify against each other."

Happy looked down at his cigarette and thought to himself. Everything Riley was saying made sense. Having that deniability with them both being enforcers would really help out the club. Not to mention that he and Chibs were the only two even available for the marriage. Happy had already thought about most of this already since the meeting with the IRA.

"If you don't want to you don't have to."

Happy turned to look at Riley's face. She was really nervous about all of this. She rarely asked for anything and this was a huge question to ask anyone. He watched her look down at her hands as she popped her knuckles. Another nervous tick. Happy smiled for a moment before covering it up. He wasn't one to tie himself down, but he had already told her if he was going to with anyone it would be her.

This would keep her safe. It would ensure that her father backed off and the Mayans would stay in line. It was good for the club. Why was it making him so damn happy though? He couldn't worry about his stupid ass feeling for the moment though.

"When do you wanna do this?"

Riley looked at him and smiled.

"You don't mind?"

"Marrying my best friend? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

Riley had a huge smile on her face as she kissed his cheek. Right as she did the rest of the guys rolled into the parking lot. He was assuming the situation would be brought up at Church so there wasn't much time to warn Chibs ahead of time. He smirked realizing it served him right. He fucked up and he was going to continue to pay the consequences.

"You gonna take my name?"

Riley started laughing and he watched her cheeks flush pink.

"I guess I probably should or it's just going to look like we're married to protect our asses. Plus, I'd be happy to not have my fathers fucking last name."

Happy stood up and walked towards the clubhouse fighting a smile. Riley Lowman. He frowned realizing he was getting way too happy about the situation again. He was gonna need to figure out what the hell was going on with him and why this was making him so damn happy.


	19. Chapter 19

Rileys heart was pounding in her chest as she sat at the table. She had barely paid attention knowing that soon the whole issue with her father would be brought up. Her and Happy and walked right in and sat down, not giving her much of a chance to warn Chibs ahead of time. At the same time, she didn't really think Chibs earned the right to find out before anyone else.

"Alright, now on ta the new IRA problem we got."

Chibs looked at Riley, nodding his head. She cleared her throat and sat up straight in her chair.

"As you all know by now, my father is a King. He called me and wanted to see me and Hap. When we showed up Alvarez was there. Basically, my darling father had him choose my fate. He chose to have me marry into the club. For some reason my father doesn't think his "connection" to the club is solidified unless I'm legally bound to someone here."

Riley sighed and brought her thoughts together.

"I'm sure a lot of you are expecting me and Chibs to get married. I don't think it's a good idea though. We have way too much baggage and it's going to cause issues for the club."

"Who ya gonna marry then doll?" Tig asked with a small smile.

"Hap and I talked earlier and me and him are gonna go to the courthouse in a few days. It just makes sense, especially for the club. With us both being enforcers, a marriage would make it so we couldn't testify against each other."

"Aye, that does make sense." Chibs added.

Riley looked him and could see he was upset. He was trying to keep a neutral look on his face but his eyes betrayed him. Even though Riley didn't want to be with him anymore it didn't mean she was thrilled to be hurting him.

He deserved it. He deserved all of it.

She still felt like shit though.

Just a week ago they had been together and wanted a future. Now she was looking at him like she didn't even know him anymore. He wasn't the love of her life. As much as it was the truth it hurt. She long ago stopped believing in fairy tales but that didn't stop her from wanting it all to be perfect.

"When yer done here call yer da. The IRA like big shite. Might want a full ceremony."

Riley grimaced at the idea. She was okay with a justice of the peace but the idea of a Sons wedding made her stomach churn. It was a huge deal and she knew her father and his men would show up.

Chibs was right though.

If they were going to go along with it, they needed to go all out.

* * *

Riley closed her phone and set it on the floor in front of her. She stayed leaning forward and ran her hands across her face. Chibs had absolutely been right. As soon as she told her father who she would be marrying he wanted to know how much money she needed for a dress and shit. Apparently he would be funding the whole thing.

She sighed and tried to ignore the headache she was getting. She had a lot to get done in a week. He wanted to hire a party planner but she said she would get everything set up.

"You alright Ri?"

She turned her head slightly to see Happy looking at her. She had gone to the roof hoping no one would hear her but she had ended up yelling regardless. She bowed her head back down and rubbed her temples.

"Yeah I'm good."

"You don't look alright."

"We have a week. Wants a huge ceremony. Good news is he wants to pay for the whole thing."

"Dress and shit too right?"

Riley groaned in response and nodded her head.

"We can call the reservation. They seem to be good with ceremonies going on there. Would be quiet and out of the way."

"Alright. He also wants to come check in and make sure we're being legit about this."

"I'll have the prospects move your shit into my house."

"Do you even stay at your house?"

"Nah but I still have one."

Riley laughed at how nonchalant Happy was being about all of it. It wasn't even phasing him.

"Let's go for a ride."

"Now?"

"Yeah. I have a shit ton of stuff in storage. If the place doesn't look perfect he's going to think we're lying. You can pick out what you want in the place and I'll have the prospects move it all."

"Alright Hap. Let's go."

* * *

Happy and Riley rolled up to a storage unit across town. They had taken the long way around and it really helped Riley clear her head. She watched Happy get off his bike and pull some keys out of his pocket. When he opened the door she was surprised to see everything so neat and organized. Normally storage units were a mess.

"Wow you weren't kidding when you said you had a shit ton of stuff."

"Yeah I know. When my mom passed there was a lot of stuff I wanted to keep."

Riley got off her bike and walked towards the open unit. She watched Happy climb into the unit and maneuver over boxes and furniture. She was looking at the different labels of the boxes when Happy came out carrying a garment bag.

"What is that?"

"Open it."

He laid it across the boxes with the zipper up. Riley opened it up to see a beautiful gown. It was a taffeta dress with a sweetheart cut top. The top chest piece was burgundy with silver beads sewn into it. The burgundy pointed down to mid stomach. She flipped the dress over to see it was a corset back and had burgundy flowers at three different levels down the back. At the bottom it opened up to a mesh train that had burgundy flowers sewn into it with the same silver beading down it.

"Happy this is beautiful. Why the hell do you have a gown?"

"It's a wedding dress. My ma had made it in hopes that some day I would get married."

"She made this?"

"Yeah. She would want you to wear it. I mean I know this is forced and shit but it would make her happy knowing someone was actually wearing it."

"Of course I will wear it, Hap. Why burgundy though?"

"She told me she figured anyone I would marry wouldn't be very traditional."

Riley laughed and smiled up at him. His face always softened when he was talking about his mom. She looked back at the dress and ran her fingers across it and got some ideas about how to do her hair.

"If it's too much you don't need to wear it Ri."

"No, Hap. I am wearing it. Just need the shoes and to figure out how to do my hair."

She noticed that Happy tried to hide his smile. He would pretend forever that it was only in memory of his mom, but she knew better. This meant a lot to him or he wouldn't have kept the dress. Especially not in such great condition.

"You gonna try it on?"

"I'm gonna need to to make sure it fits. I'm sure it will need alterations. Unless your mom could see the future."

Happy laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know, Ri. She always surprised me with how much she knew without reason."

"Uh, Hap. How am I gonna get this back on the bike?"

"Oh. Yeah I didn't think about that. When I have the prospects clear out the storage unit I'll have them bring that too. It will be more work for them but I figured they could just bring everything and we can go through it. Whatever we don't want they can bring it back."

"They're gonna hate us."

"Don't care. They're prospects."

They both laughed and go on their bikes after Happy locked up the storage unit. Riley smiled at how easily everything was falling together.


	20. Chapter 20

Chibs looked down at his phone to see Althea calling. Again. This was the fifth time she had called within the hour. He groaned knowing that if he didn't answer she would just show up.

"Aye. What do ya want?"

_"_ _Just making sure you're still alive. Haven't heard from you."_

"Aye. I'm busy. What do ya need."

_"_ _You gonna stop by later?"_

"I told ya I ain't promising ya anything."

_"_ _I know. I just kind of figured with Riley knowing.."_

"She's still part of the club, Althea. Club comes first."

With that he closed the phone. He had forgotten how clingy the bitch could be. Not that he should be surprised. Her jealousy and want for him in her life is what led directly to her working with Brandon.

He kicked himself for even sharing her bed in the first place.

He let his mind wander for a while. The idea of him doing the same thing to him but with someone like Jimmy sparked a rage in him he had never known. The idea of being stabbed in the back like that killed him.

He had done just that.

He not only cheated on her but he cheated on her with the enemy. She had almost died. Althea had almost killed her. He had fought tooth and nail to get her back and had almost lost her. So what did he do?

He fucked the enemy.

Before he even realized it, he was punching the car he was working on. He heard a loud snap and knew instantly that his hand had broken. Not to mention the huge dent in the fairly new car in front of him.

"Shite!"

He heard footsteps coming up quickly and turned around to see Tig running.

"What the hell man?!"

"Lost me temper. I'll be fine."

"The fuck you will. Your shit is probably broken!"

"Aye it is."

"What'd ya get pissed about? Fuck up your hair?"

Chibs rolled his jaw knowing that if he hit Tig right now it would hurt him more than it would hurt the wild haired man. His frustration and anger wasn't gone yet. Now he was angry with a broken hand. Great.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the whole Ri and Hap thing does it?"

"Jesus Christ Tig. Of course it does!"

Tig fell silent and crossed his arms in front of him.

"I fucked up alright? I made a mess out of everything and now it all fell to shite. I love her, Tiggy. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone."

"Man, you gotta tell her this stuff. It doesn't help when you tell me. I mean I can put on a blonde wig and some short shorts but I don't think it'd be the same, brother."

Chibs rolled his eyes and huffed out a laugh. His hand hurt like hell.

"I can't be telling her shite. She made it clear she's done with me."

"So that's it? You're just gonna give up? You followed her around like a lost puppy for years Chibs. You watched her fuck almost everyone around you and yet you still stayed. So now you're giving up?"

"I fucked the one person on this earth that would shatter her heart."

"Yeah. Ya did. You were really fucking stupid, brother. Really fucking stupid. I mean I've done some stupid shit but this.. this is really fucking stupid."

"Aye! I fucking get it!"

"No I mean like on a scale of one to stupid, you're at REALLY fucking stupid."

"Say it one more time Tiggy and I'll break me other fucking hand."

"Alright, alright. I'm just trying to help ya brother."

"Ya can help me by either fixing this dent or fixing me hand."

"Eh, prospects can fix the car. I'm shit at fixing stuff though. I mean I've had more stitches in my ass than you've had on your whole body, but I don't know how to fix bones, man."

"Aye. You're right."

"Man, you gotta call Riley."

Chibs looked at Tig like he had two heads. Call Riley? Seriously? And tell her what? That he broke his hand realizing how much of a dumb fuck he was? Yeah that sounds like a great idea.

"I'm not calling her."

"Alright I will."

"You aren't fucking calling her Tig."

"Nah, I'm gonna call her Riley. Maybe doll. Probably doll. I'd never call her Tig though. That's just fucking weird."

Tig smirked and walked away as he dialed a number on his phone. Chibs stomped away and sat in the office waiting for the humiliation of asking his now ex-girlfriend to fix his hand. The hand he broke literally beating himself up over cheating on her.

Chibs felt like jumping off the roof would be a better option.

* * *

Tig snapped the phone closed and laughed to himself. He knew just how awkward this whole situation was going to be, but he was loving it. Riley was doing pretty good so he wasn't worried about her. The look on Chibs face was priceless though.

The crazy bastard broke his hand because he was mad. At himself. That is the kind of shit Happy does. Except Happy is never mad at himself. Happy is usually mad at everyone else. In fact Tig had felt the brunt end of that anger a few times.

He lit a cigarette up and waited for the show to start. Riley said that she would be there in a few minutes. He thought he should probably warn Chibs, but it was more fun this way.

He loved Chibs. Out of anyone, he was closest to him. He was such a dumbass though. When you find the kind of love he shares with Riley you don't let that shit go. He had almost done the same thing with Venus.

He loved Venus. He had loved before but Venus got him like no one else ever had. She could look right into his demons and still see the good in him. She saw the good when Tig couldn't even look at himself in the mirror.

Tig turned towards the sounds of bikes rolling in. He smiled seeing Happy and Riley laughing as they backed their bikes in.

"Whats so funny doll?"

"Oh, Happy called the prospects and let them know they're moving all of his storage unit to the house. Then when we go through it and figure out what we want they're moving everything back to the storage unit."

"They pissed?"

"Very."

"Good! It'll put some hair on their nuts."

"So, why did you need me back?"

"Chibs broke his hand."

"How the fuck did he do that?" Happy laughed out.

"Why don't you ask him Ri?"

"Oh Jesus Christ. Alright. Can you run in and grab my bag?"

"Of course I can doll. I'll bring it right out to you."

He watched her walk towards the shop office and he smirked. Now he was going to get her bag which gave him the perfect excuse to walk right in and see how this situation was going to play out. Nothing like a good humiliation for the president.

"How did he break his hand Tig?"

"He punched a car."

"Why?"

"Because he's mad at himself for cheating on Riley."

Tig started laughing and turned towards the clubhouse to go get the bag. He didn't want to miss much of the conversation that was about to happen.

* * *

Chibs groaned in pain. The longer he sat here the more his hand hurt. He knew he needed to take some type of pain medication but he honestly was afraid to face Riley. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Judging by the dent in the car out there, I'm assuming you lost the fight."

"Aye. I did."

"Broken?"

"Aye."

"Let me see it."

Chibs expect her to be rough with his fragile hand, but he was wrong. She gently took his hand in hers and started assessing the damage. She lightly pressed on places and looked at his face to see his reaction. She closed her eyes and ran her finger slowly down the bones where the swelling was and stopped when the bone started shifting.

"You broke your second and third metacarpals. Considering it's in your dominant hand you need a cast."

"Can't ride without a cast."

"If you get it done soon you'll only be down for six weeks. If you wait it could need to be re-broken and then you'll be out longer."

"Christ."

"Is that a "you're right Riley" answer?"

"Aye."

"Alright. I'll go get one of the prospects to give you a ride."

Chibs nodded and realized that Riley still had a soft hold of his hand. She seemed to notice it too when she quickly let go of his hand, causing him to let out a painful hiss.

"Oh, uh sorry."

"Nah you're alight lass."

"Wanna tell me why you punched the car?"

"Does it really matter?"

"If it is either club related or me related, then yes."

Chibs looked down and tried to find the right words. He started to speak a few times but cut himself off before he could really make any coherent words. He had just told Tig everything that he felt but now in front of Riley, he was speechless.

"Use your words, Chibs."

"Is there even a point?"

"You tell me."

Chibs looked up to see a neutral expression on Rileys face, but it wasn't harsh. She wasn't smiling but it wasn't as rough as the look that he received when he came back. He finally looked into her eyes and what he saw broke his heart all over again.

She was hurting.

How didn't he see that? He had assumed because she was laughing she was fine. She had been so shut off and quiet after Sarah died. This was different though. As much as her heart was broken she was putting on a brave face.

Her eyes were betraying her though.

Her normal blue and sparkling eyes weren't there. Instead they were replaced with a dull grey version. Even the space right around her eyes was dulled. She looked exhausted.

He had never missed that sparkle as much as that moment.

"It does matter. Riley, it all matters. There is so much I want to say but none of it is strong enough. None of it has the meaning I want it to after I betrayed ya."

"Why don't I take you to the hospital and we can talk more. You really need to get that cast on."

Chibs nodded and stood up. He noticed that Riley didn't move away from him as quickly as before and it made his heart ache. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms but for the time being he would just settle for being in the van with her and the opportunity to talk.


	21. Chapter 21

Happy watched Tig run out of the clubhouse looking flustered. At the same time, Riley and Chibs walked out of the office.

"Aww come on!" Tig exclaimed.

"Are you really that much of a bitch, Tig?"

"I wanted to know what was said!"

"Just ask Riley later. You know she will tell you."

"It's not the same" Tig whined.

Happy shook his head and finished his cigarette. He'd never admit it but he wanted to know what was said too. There wasn't any yelling and that almost made him more curious. He watched Riley and Chibs walk towards the van but neither of their faces were giving anything away.

"Looks like you might have been replaced, brother."

Happy looked at Tig and felt nothing but rage. It wasn't any of his business to begin with.

"What the fuck do you mean, Trager."

"I mean her proposal. She might be pulling it for Chibs now."

"That's between me and her, Tig."

"I'm just saying, I would be asking her what is going on."

"Shut the fuck up, Tig. Or meet in the fucking ring."

"I'm way too old to be fighting you, Hap."

"Then shut your fucking mouth."

Happy got up and walked into the clubhouse as Riley and Chibs got in the van. He pushed the doors open violently and head straight for the bar. Tig had no fucking right to start shit.

And he had no fucking right to be mad.

This marriage was just a technicality. It didn't mean shit except for an excuse to make Riley's father shut up. It was a piece of paper to keep the IRA and Mayans at bay. The ceremony was just to make everyone else happy.

He was RIleys friend and nothing more.

Why did that piss him off so much?

Happy shook his head and took a drink off the bar and downed it. None of this mattered. What mattered was doing right by the club and those around him. His feelings didn't matter.

* * *

Chibs sat down in the room after getting his xrays done. Riley had taken him and stayed with him with a promise to talk to him once the xrays were done and his hand was taken care of. He looked at her and saw that she was still exhausted. She was smiling softly at him but that smile still didn't meet her eyes.

"It shouldn't take long for the results to come back but I know you at least broke two bones."

"Aye. Tech thought the same thing."

"I guess you shouldn't punch cars anymore then."

"Aye. You're right."

Chibs figured he could cut the tension with a knife. He wanted so badly to beg her to take him back but he knew Riley well enough that him begging wouldn't help. He was distracted by his phone vibrating to see that it was Althea calling again. He groaned.

"You groaning at your hand or whoever is calling you?"

"Both I guess."

"I'm not going to stop you from being with her."

Chibs looked at to see a neutral look on Rileys face. She didn't look happy at her statement but she didn't seem to be lying either.

"Club comes first. You're part of the club."

"You've already put her first, Chibs. May as well go all in with it."

"I don't want her."

"But you did."

"No. I was stupid."

"Point is you still wanted her. You put her above the club and above our relationship. In one action you moved forward with someone who tried to have both a club member and the woman you claimed to have loved above all."

"That isn't what I did."

"Okay maybe you didn't mean to but that is what you did. She tried to have me killed."

"She was jealous."

"So I should kill her because of my jealousy? I should rip the club apart and do something that could hurt the reaper just because I'm upset?"

"No."

"Then why was it okay for you to do it? Not even talking about us. Let's talk about the club. You're supposed to be the president. You're supposed to lead us. You put one of your members, if not all, in jeopardy to get your dick wet."

The conversation was not going where Chibs wanted it to and he tried to figure out how to change the direction. He knew he had fucked up. He knew just how bad things were but he didn't expect Riley to care more about the club than her heart.

"Staring at me without saying anything isn't going to change a damn thing."

"How can you be more concerned about the club than you? I betrayed you most of all."

Riley sighed and shook her head.

"You don't even know me. I was a soldier for longer than I was anything else. My life never mattered. My troops lives mattered. I risked my life to save everyone else every moment I was over there. They always mattered more than me. The club is no different. I care about those men more than I care about myself. I care about the idea, the premise and the history that the club has as well. It will always, and I mean ALWAYS, mean more than my heart does. I will die for this club someday, just like I was supposed to die for my country."

"Don't talk like that, Riley."

"I speak the truth. That's the only way I can go out. Fighting for something I believe in and love more than myself. I love my country. I loved that uniform. I love this one too." She said as she patted her cut. "I would die for anyone around me and I will never do anything to put them in harm's way."

"I hate ye talking like that."

"You just don't like the truth."

"Aye. I guess I don't."

"The club will move past this. I think the guys have already forgiven you."

"Aye, everyone but Happy."

"He might take some time."

"What about us?"

"Us? There is no us. You're my president and I'm a patched member. Someday I'll be your friend. I'll be able to listen to you as we joke and laugh about our day and our relationships. I'll smile when I see you happy and wish you the best."

"What are we today?

"Today? Today I'm the woman who is telling you I'll never be more than that with you again. In a few days I'll be the one walking down the aisle to marry someone that isn't you."

"Aye. I guess you're right."

"I can't promise you when everything will be okay then. All I can promise you is that I will do everything I can to protect the club and get to a place where I'm comfortable with being your friend again."

"That's all I can really ask for, lass."

"I love you Filip, this just can't be what you want it to be anymore."

Riley smiled a soft sad smile and gently pat Chibs on his unbroken hand. She stood up as the doctor walked in and nodded before she walked out. Chibs didn't even pay attention as the doctor explained what was wrong and started to wrap his hand. His mind was racing with the last words Riley said to him.

" _I love you Filip, this just can't be what you want it to be anymore."_

* * *

Riley sat in the van and waited for Chibs to come out. Telling him all of that hurt quite a bit. She meant every word though.

She had hoped that she would forgive him. She wanted to be able to run back into his arms. She wanted more than anything to curl up in his arms and wake up to the sun shining on their faces.

She just couldn't do it thought.

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander to better days. Days when she would wake up to Chibs smiling at her. Days when they would ride together to the beach and spend the day smiling and laughing. Even the days when he was there for her after Sarah were better than this. This day had no hope. This day had no love.

She had meant what she said when she would die for the club someday. She knew it was soon as she became a member. She had accepted that she had found a group with the mentality and structure of an army. She had been so lost and they showed her she belonged somewhere. She had always assumed she would be dying with love and adoration for her president. She felt empty now that was ripped away from her.

She jumped when she heard the door open and she instantly put her hand on her pistol.

"Oi! Calm down. Just an old man."

"Yeah an old man with a body count."

"Aye. Not one that compares to yours though lass."

Riley smiled at him knowing he was right. She started up the van and wiped her eyes. She was incredibly tired from running around all day.

"You choosin Hap was a smart choice."

"I know."

"For more than just the club. He will always look out for ya."

"Just as I'll always look out for him."

"Got all the wedding shite figured out?"

"Yeah. I think."

"You can talk to me about it."

"I know. Just not a whole lot to talk about. It's happening. I have my dress. I have my appointment for my hair. We have the venue. We all just need to be there."

"Sure you shouldn't be a wedding planner?"

Riley laughed out loudly and shook her head. She hated weddings. She hated the idea of a piece of paper telling her what to do. She hated the whole idea. The only thing making it better for her was the groom. She knew he didn't expect much out of her.

* * *

Riley pulled up to Happys house. She laughed when she realized it was also her house too. Or at least it would be soon. There was a moving truck in the driveway and she could see the prospects unloading boxes. She dismounted her bike and walked towards the front door. She spotted Happy standing in the doorway glaring at the prospects.

"What'd they do to piss you off?"

"They were an hour late and they keep dropping shit."

"Probably drop shit cause you're scaring them."

Riley watched Happy smile and walk into the house. She followed him in and saw that he had started unpacking some boxes. She looked around and noticed some of her stuff scattered around the house too. She walked down the hallway and saw picture frames on the wall. They were all perfectly placed with what looked like measured distances. She stopped dead when she saw a picture of her and Sarah together.

She remembered the day the picture was taken. Riley had just gotten back from a ride and Sarah was waiting for her with a smile. Seeing the soft smile across her own face brought tears to her eyes. She could almost feel the love between the two just by looking at the picture.

"She's part of your life, Ri. Nothing is gonna change that."

Riley turned and hugged Happy before she even knew what she was doing. She felt him tense under the hug but before she could pull away he wrapped his arms around her and relaxed.

"Just because we aren't technically together doesn't mean I don't give a shit Ri."

"I know. I'm just being a weak ass bitch right now. Just spent hours with Chibs."

"How did that go?"

"He still had hope we would end up back together."

"Had?"

"Yeah. I can't do it. I don't even see the same person when I look at him, Hap. I had all this love and adoration for him and it all just disappeared as soon as I found out what he did. He's still my president and I'd protect him to the death. I just don't love him like he wants me to."

"He can't blame you for that."

"I don't think he does. I just know he isn't happy."

"Neither are you."

Riley looked at him surprised that he could tell. She had been trying so hard to hide it from everyone, him included.

"You can't hide much from me, girl."

"I guess not."

"That's how I also know you didn't stop loving him, Ri. You just won't deal with any bullshit."

Riley sighed and sat down on the couch. She was surprised by how comfortable it was and realized that Happy had smirked at her surprise. She ran her fingers through her hair as she leaned back against the corner. Happy sat down next to her.

"I obviously can't just forget about everything we've been through. We spent so much time just dancing around each other. Neither one of us seemed able to make the move."

"Drove everyone nuts around you."

"Everything was good. Everything was a dream."

"I know it was, Ri."

"What did I do wrong?"

Riley looked up at Happy with tears in her eyes. She had asked herself the question a thousand times since everything happened. That was the first time she ever vocalized it and it tore her heart to pieces.

"Ri, you didn't do a damn thing wrong."

"If I had just caved and done what he wanted.."

"Then you would be even more miserable for the rest of your life. Riley you didn't want to get married."

"I still have to get married though."

"To someone who has zero expectations of you. This is nothing like you would have been caught in if you had just caved and agreed to marry him."

"I guess."

"Talk to me."

"I just.. Happy I feel so damn lost. I feel like my whole future has been ripped away from me and now I have absolutely no idea what is going on. I loved him with all of my heart. I loved him so god damn much."

"And that is okay, but you need to talk about it."

"There isn't much left to say. I loved him. He got a taste of hardship and ran into the arms of someone who tried to kill me."

"Ri, are you going to be able to trust him again?"

Riley looked down as she played with her hands. She had said a thousand times that she would forgive him some day. She had even told him some day she would be his friend again.

"I don't know. I don't know if I can look him in the eyes and listen to a damn thing he says. I don't know if I can believe in him anymore."

"You know that is a really big thing you need to figure out, right? If you can't trust your president, you can't trust your club."

"I know."

Riley put her head down and sighed. She felt Happy pulled her close to him and wrap his arms around her. She finally let loose and allowed the tears to flow. She hated that she felt weak but Happy had always known what she needed and right then she needed to cry.


	22. Chapter 22

Happy held onto Riley until all the tears she had were gone. He had glared at the prospects when they stopped to look at her, causing them all to run away. He realized that the tears had only stopped because she fell asleep. He had been worried about her. As much as she tried to play it all off, he knew she wasn't sleeping. She was usually up on the roof staring at the stars all night.

Happy sighed and scooped her up into his arms. He hadn't been able to set up a spare bedroom yet so he walked her into his room. He had washed the sheets that morning and made the bed before the prospects got there. He set her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He smiled when she sighed in her sleep and rolled over. He noticed that she always slept on her left side. He wondered if it had to do with her injuries from the Army.

It was easy to forget that she was so physically broken. Most days she didn't have much of a limp and she outran all of the guys. It was when she was tired physically that it showed. He also noticed some mornings when it was cold she would wince in pain every now and then.

He watched her sleep for a few minutes. Her face was relaxed and so were all of her muscles. Most of the time she was incredibly tense. She always stood up very tall and sat up straight. He liked seeing her so peaceful.

He turned to walk out and tripped over a box he didn't notice was on the floor. He heard Riley stir and looked back to see her sitting straight up with wild eyes. He had scared her.

"Go back to bed, Ri."

"No we need to unpack shit."

"No. You need to sleep. I need to unpack."

He watched her frown as she looked around.

"We should set up the spare bedroom so you can have your room."

"If your dad stops by he's going to notice you're sleeping in another room."

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"Not like you haven't been in my bed before."

"Totally different circumstances."

Happy laughed and nodded. She hadn't ever stayed long in his bed and it was always the bed at the clubhouse. In fact, he had never had a woman in the bed here. He never took anyone home.

"If it makes you feel better, you're the first woman in that bed."

"Really?"

"Yep. Now get to sleep."

"Will.. uh.. will you stay in here with me for a while? I know I won't sleep if I'm left in here to think."

Happy nodded and climbed over Riley to lay down in the bed. He could have walked around but he was too lazy and knew it would make her laugh. He loved hearing her laugh.

"Jesus you moose."

"Well maybe if you weighed more you wouldn't fly across the room if I look at the bed the wrong way."

"Shut the fuck up."

Happy opened his arm up allowing Riley to put her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and shut his eyes. Her body heat was going to put him to sleep. He started chuckling.

"What the hell is so funny?"

Rileys voice was gravely from being tired. He had heard her tired before but never like this. He must have been right about her not sleeping much.

"This is the first time I've ever had a woman in my bed if I wasn't fucking her."

"Seriously? Jesus you're a hog."

"I think this is the first time I've cuddled too."

"Well I'll teach you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Step one. Shut the fuck up."

Happy laughed and tightened his arm around Riley. He felt her nestle into his side more and sigh. Even though this was exactly what her father would want to see, it made him happy curling up next to Riley anyway. He liked feeling like he was keeping her safe. He liked her heat next to him. He also realized that he had wanted this for a long time.

* * *

Riley woke up to her phone ringing next to her. She opened her eyes slowly and noticed it was dark. She was wrapped up next to Happy and he was sleeping. She didn't realize that he had fallen asleep too. She reached over to grab her phone, causing Happy to stir and grumble at her movement.

"Hello?"

"Were you sleeping?"

"Dad?"

"Obviously."

"Yeah. I was. What do you need."

"Wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan."

"Yeah. Wedding is in three days. Have a dress, venue and all the appointments necessary. Everyone that knows about it will be there."

"Sons, Mayans and IRA right?"

Riley groaned at the idea of everyone being in one area.

"Yes. Chibs called Alvarex and he will be there with his guys. Just let me know how many people you will be bringing."

"I'll get notification to you tomorrow."

"Alright."

Riley shut her phone and flopped back down on the bed.

"What time is it?"

"Three in the morning."

Happy groaned and ran his hand across his face. Riley laughed lightly and sat up to put her hair into a bun. Right as she was about to put her hair band on, she felt Happy put his hand on hers to stop him.

"Like it down better."

Riley smiled and scoffed.

"Oh so this is how our marriage is gonna be? Starting to tell me what to do already?"

"You're in my bed. You do what you're told."

Riley laughed out and shook her head but let her hair down. She turned to look at him and with the moonlight shining in she could see he was smiling at her. It wasn't his normal smirk when he was trying to piss her of. It was a soft smile that she wasn't used to seeing on his face.

"What the hell are you smiling at, tough guy."

"My future wife, I guess."

"Ah. Well I guess I should start telling you what to do and to leave the toilet seat down right?"

"Nah. You can start that in four days."

"Four days? We're getting married in three."

"Yep. That gives you one day of being the perfect wife. Then you can start your shit."

Riley laughed and shook her head again.

"I'm gonna be the worst wife ever. Gonna call you and ask you where you are."

"Always with you. We kind of work together."

"True. I'll refuse to cook dinner."

"You know I like to cook. Plus, we usually order out."

"I'll trash the house and get fat."

"You're too militaristic for that. And you're a workout freak."

"Jesus Hap, thought about all of this much?"

"Kind of yeah."

"Explain."

"I was thinking that if I ever got married it would be hard. I would feel trapped. I don't with you. We already spend a shit ton of time together. We don't fight over stupid shit. We just get each other. I know the circumstances aren't exactly the best but I'm glad, If I'm going to get married, that It's to you."

Riley looked down and let hair fall so it covered part of her face. She had thought all the same stuff. She felt guilty. She had all the plans in the world to be with Chibs forever. Now not even a few days after they split up she was in bed with Happy talking about how much the two of them married worked.

"It's alright if you don't feel the same way."

Riley looked at him and shook her head.

"I do though. I just feel guilty."

"Why?"

"Chibs. Not very long ago we were planning a future together. Now here I am with you."

"You were kind of forced to though, Ri."

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain how comfortable I am with all of it."

"Cause we get each other. Now lay down and go back to sleep. We gotta finish unpacking the house later."

"I'm not really tired anymore."

Riley felt a large hand grab her shoulder and pull her down onto the bed. She laughed out loudly as Happy pulled her in close.

"For someone who never cuddled before you're awfully demanding."

"Someone once told me step one to cuddling was to shut the fuck up."

Riley laughed again and pulled the blanket over herself. As soon as she felt the heat radiating from Happy she yawned and lost the burst of energy she had just had. She closed her eyes and fell asleep listening to the rhythmic breathing coming from Happy.

* * *

The next three days dragged on for Chibs. He was still reeling from his conversation with Riley and wasn't looking forward to the wedding. As the president, he was thrilled that the encounter with the IRA was being resolved. As the man in love with Riley, he was devastated that someone else was going to be standing at the end of the isle waiting for her.

He downed the drink in front of him and walked down the hall to check on Happy. He knocked on the open door and saw him getting dressed. He wasn't wearing anything special, but he had put on a fresh white t-shirt.

"What's up prez?"

"Nothing much. Just seeing if anything needs to be done."

"I don't think so. Riley set up almost everything. I was gonna head over to the rez to make sure Rat isn't fucking anything up over there. T.O. and his wife were gonna head over there too soon I think."

"Alright. I'll ride over with ya then."

Happy nodded and turned back to grab his cut. Chibs walked away trying to not let his heavy heart show through. This wedding was hard on him for more than one reason. The last time there was a wedding with the sons this big, Opie was still around. It had been a great night even despite killing a ton of Russians. Opie had been smiling for the first time in months. Lyla was a beautiful woman. She wasn't Donna, but she loved Opie in her own way.

He had thought about reaching out to her many times. After Jax died and Alvarez took over a lot of the escort business, she left town. She was terrified that the kids would get hurt. Wendy had told him that she heard from Lyla every now and then. She had gone back to school and was a nurse. He hoped again that this wedding would go as well as the last.

* * *

Riley stood in front of a mirror looking at herself. The dress had fit her like a glove. She thought back to Happy saying that he wouldn't be surprised that it fit her. She smiled at the idea of his mother knowing someone who looked exactly like her would be walking down the aisle towards her son.

Her hair was curled perfectly. She had burgundy added into parts of it on the bottom so it matched her dress. It made her blue eyes stand out. The woman had done her makeup simply. She had offered to cover her scars, but it didn't seem fitting. She had messed with makeup before but hated her reflection without her scars.

She breathed deeply trying to calm her fears. She wasn't nervous about marrying Happy. She wasn't even nervous about being in a dress. If she were being honest with herself, she felt beautiful. She had always fantasized as a little girl of being in a white dress getting ready to walk down the aisle. There she was barely even recognizing herself.

"You look beautiful, doll."

Riley turned around and smiled at Tig standing in the doorway. He had put on a dress shirt under his cut.

"You clean up good too, Tiggy."

"That the dress Hap's mom made?"

"Yeah. I didn't even need to alter it at all. It was perfect."

"Well it helps that the woman in it is perfect too."

Riley felt her face go warm as she smiled at him.

"You ready for this?"

"As ready as I can be I guess."

"I'm sorry you're going through all of this, doll."

"I'm not. Whatever I have to do for the club."

"Bet when you promised that the first time you didn't imagine this would be part of it."

"No, Tiggy. I sure as hell didn't"

"Your dad is here. It okay to send him back?"

"Yeah. May as well get it over with."

Riley turned back to the mirror and made sure everything was still in place. She heard footsteps in the door and turned to see her father in a suit. As much as she didn't like him, he cleaned up nicely.

"You look beautiful, Riley."

"Thanks, dad."

"Do you need anything else from me?"

"Actually, I want to ask you for something."

"What is that?"

"I want Tig to walk me down the aisle."

"Ouch. Not your own father?"

"We both know you haven't been in my life. Tig was the one there for me when I was in the hospital. Brandon both directly and indirectly almost killed me more than once."

"And I put Brandon in your life."

"Yeah."

"I will grant you that wish."

"Thank you."

"I'm glad you listened to me, by the way. I would have hated killing Chibs."

"What the hell did you just say?"

"If you hadn't obeyed me I would have killed him. I would have had to. Now I know it would have better to kill Tig."

"You won't lay a hand on them."

"No. You're right. I won't. Just don't disobey me Riley. Remember that."

Riley ground her teeth together. She wanted to rip into the man in front of her. He was a horrible person to the core.

"I also expect this marriage with Mr. Lowman to be legitimate. Am I correct in hearing that you moved in with him?"

"Yes."

"Good. Keep listening to me sweet daughter and you will make it out of this alive."

Riley was seething as she watched him walk away. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She heard someone walk back into the room and saw that it was Chibs.

"Ya look beautiful, lass."

"Thanks."

"Da was here?"

"Yeah. Wanted to thank me for cooperating so he didn't have to kill you."

"What a great wedding present, aye?"

"I suppose."

"Everyone is ready for ya."

"Alright. Can you send Tiggy in?"

Riley watched Chibs nod and walk out. It hurt that she could see how upset he was, but she had more to worry about at the moment. She was furious after her discussion with her father.

"Hey doll. You needed me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you for something."

"Yeah. Anything."

"Will you walk me down the aisle?"

Riley chuckled as she watched Tigs jaw drop. He paced back and forth a few times muttering to himself and then stopped in front of her.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah Tiggy. You've been there for me for so much. I would be honored if you would walk me down the aisle."

Tig carefully wrapped his arms around her being careful not to mess up her dress or makeup.

"Anything for you, doll."


	23. Chapter 23

Happy was standing at the end of aisle waiting for Riley to walk down. He had been scanning the crowd hating the fact he barely knew anyone there. He recognized most of the Mayans but the IRA were throwing him for a loop. He could had sworn some of them were Russian but he figured he was too stressed.

The music started playing and everyone looked back. He lift his head up and spotted Tig's curly hair before anything else. To the right of his brother, was Riley. Her hair was curled and had burgundy chunks in it. He was sure there was some fancy name for it, but he had no clue what it was.

She was wearing the dress that his mother had made. It fit her perfectly. She was a mix of beautiful brike and sexy minx. It fit her curves and pushed her tits up just enough to want to see more. Happy tried not to laugh at himself.

He wanted to look over to check the crowd again, but he couldn't look away from her. Her blue eyes were practically glowing from under her veil. She hadn't put much makeup on and she didn't cover her scars. It made him actually full on smile for a second, but not for too long. Couldn't let people think he was getting soft or some shit.

They made their way to Happy and Tig passed her off to him. He helped her walk up the few steps onto the stage and he chuckled at her tripping over her heels. He tried to remember a time that he had seen her wear heels but he couldn't.

Just as he was pulling her veil up and thinking of a smart-ass comment to make towards her, he heard gunshots. They both dropped to the ground and turned to see three men firing from behind the crowd at them. He cursed himself for not having a gun on him when suddenly there was one being handed to him. He looked over at the small hand and realized it was Rileys.

"Where the fuck-"

"Just take the god damn thing!"

He watched her pull a second gun from her cleavage and jumped up firing. He had no idea how she hid two full size pistols in that dress. She stalked forward in her gown and took all three men down in three shots. She kept walking forward to the three men and stopped at one of them.

"Who the fuck are you."

"Apologizes, Miss Morey. Nothing against you. They killed our guys at the last wedding."

The man had a heavy Russian accent.

"So you fuck mine up? Are you fucking kidding me? I thought ya'll worked that shit out!"

"Wasn't good enough for us."

"Well you breathing isn't good enough for me."

One more shot rang out and the man stopped moving. Riley turned around and looked more pissed than Happy had ever seen her. He watched her check the crowd out. One Mayan had been hit but somehow, no one else was injured. The Mayan was howling in pain and carried away by two of his guys.

Happy heard clapping and looked over to see Rileys father standing. Riley turned and glared at her father. Happy hoped he was never at the bad end of that glare.

"Very good, sweet daughter."

"Good?! I just fucking killed three men at my wedding!"

"And now everyone here is witness to that. I was hoping that one of the men of the club would take care of it, but I see you can protect yourself."

"You set this up?"

"Yes. Now carry on with the wedding! Carry on everyone!"

Three IRA guys grabbed the dead Russians and dragged them away.

"Fuck you! How dare you!"

"Remember what I told you earlier, sweetheart. You are much better off listening to me."

Happy wasn't sure what her father had told her, but he watched her shut her mouth and walk back towards him. This wasn't the way anyone wanted this to go, except her father apparently. Everyone fell quiet and the ceremony went on. Happy realized that even furious and her hair in a mess from killing three people, Riley was still beautiful. In fact, he was sure it made her even more beautiful.

* * *

Chibs watched the whole scene unfold in front of him. He could tell there was something wrong after Riley talked to her father, but he didn't expect gun fire to go off. Especially not from the Russians.

He was seething.

Either Riley knew about it and that's why she was mad or she had no idea but her father was a serious threat. Neither option was sitting well with him.

It was already killing him that he was watching Riley walk into Happys arms. Now she was a threat to everyone around them. He started regretting letting her in the club.

He knew he was being irrational but he was pissed. He promised the bullshit would end. He promised his club no one else would die. So far, he had kept that promise but it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to do so.

He let the past few years run through his head. All the violence and all the danger led straight to Riley. He had half a mind to pull a vote to get her out.

He groaned realizing none of the guys would agree with him. They all loved her. He loved her.

He wondered if that's what his real problem was. He was watching the woman he loved marry someone he considered a brother. He had known Happy since he came stateside. He always respected him, even if he knew he couldn't do the same fucked up shit he did.

This was eating him alive.

He heard the ceremony start back up and couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and silently walked out. He would be there for them through anything, but he couldn't be there for that.

He decided right then that he needed to choose. He either needed to hate her and blame her for everything, or submit that he would be hopelessly in love with her for the rest of his life. Not deciding could rip everyone's lives apart.

* * *

Riley was already seething when she saw Chibs stand up and walk away out of the corner of her eye. She wanted nothing more than to scream at everyone around her. She had tucked the pistol back into her dress and even pulling that out and shooting seemed like a great idea. She set her jaw, stopping herself from doing either one.

"Ri, breathe. It's okay. We'll get this done then take care of everything else." Happy whispered.

She looked into his eyes and started breathing again. She knew she had murder in her eyes but Happys calm face was bringing her out of it. He was right. They needed to do this, then revenge could come later. She nodded and let her face soften. She was still pissed but everyone else didn't need to know that.

She focused in when she heard the chief asking her if she took Happy to be her husband.

"I do."

"And do you, Happy Lowman take Riley Morey to be your wife for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

They both smirked and said in unison.

"And I promise to treat you as good as my leather, and ride you as much as my Harley."

She heard everyone clapping as Happy pulled her in for a quick kiss. He continued to hug her and whispered in her ear.

"We'll get revenge, Ri. Your dad isn't going to hurt you anymore. He isn't going to hurt the club."

Riley smiled and hugged onto Happy. Yet again, she thought, they were on the same page.


	24. Chapter 24

Riley was fuming as she flew on her bike towards the clubhouse. She had played nice all night just like her father had demanded of her. She wore her dress and danced with her husband. She smiled for the camera and shook hands of everyone that congratulated her. She felt nothing but hate.

Hate for her father who forced her to marry.

Hate for the Russians she had to shoot in front of everyone.

Hate for her father again for forcing her to shoot the Russians.

Hate for the situation she had been put in time and time again that put the club she loved in danger.

Hate for Chibs for walking out.

She knew that she needed to deal with one issue at a time. After telling Happy she would be home later, she took off towards her first problem. Chibs. She pulled in and quickly backed her bike into her normal spot. There weren't many bikes there, but her presidents was. She dismounted quickly and walked towards the front door.

As soon as she went through the door she saw Chibs sitting in the chapel. She walked forward, shrugging off the girls trying to congratulate and feel her up. She had no time for their bullshit. She walked into the Chapel and shut the doors behind her.

"Aye, there is the beautiful bride."

Drunk. He was drunk. In fact, he was very drunk.

"Yeah, and here is the selfish prick drunker than shit hiding in the chapel."

"Oi, was I supposed to sit and watch ya live happily ever after?"

"THIS WHOLE THING IS YOUR FAULT!"

"How the fuck was it my fault! All of the club problems have been your fault. But killing some Russians is mine!? You probably bloody knew about it!"

"The fuck I did! The whole reason the fuck was flexing his muscles is because of you!"

"I didn't do shite."

"You're right. You didn't. So I had to! He was going to fucking kill you Chibs!"

"What?"

"If I didn't do what I was told, when I was told to, he was going to kill you or Tig. Probably both of you!"

"That what he told ya?"

"Yes! Chibs you have no idea how ruthless he is. He will kill anyone and everyone just because he feels like it. I had to marry someone RIGHT AFTER I get my heart broken and you start blaming me?"

"Tryin to tell me you hate that yer married to Happy?"

"No. I won't say that because it isn't true. That man has been there for me in ways you couldn't even understand. He gets me without me even having to say a word. So no. I don't regret marrying him but I hate the situation that you helped put me in."

She watched Chibs finally resign and be quiet. He seemed more sober but maybe it was more that he was somber.

"And how dare you say this is all my fault. I have lost and sacrificed more than most. Ya know, I think that hurts more than you cheating on me. You know what I've been through. You know how much I've lost. You seriously just looked at me and told me all of this is my fault. It could be just as much your fault due to your ties with the IRA. Maybe that's why he found me in the first place. Ever think of that?"

"No."

"You need to get your head on straight. Sober up. Clear your head. Hap and I are heading out of town for a few days. Had a honeymoon gifted to us by the IRA so it needs to be taken. When I get back this shit better be buried or worked through. Whatever you need to do."

"Yeah, and what are you doing to do if it isn't."

"I don't know yet. All I see are two options."

"Aye, and what would those be lass."

Riley could feel the sarcasm and hate dripping from his words. It pissed her off more to hear him so spiteful.

"I can either leave the club because you can't get your head on straight."

Riley held back punching the man in front of her in the face when he scoffed at her.

"Or I can take it right from underneath you."

Riley didn't wait to her a response as she turned and walked away. She meant everything she said. Happy made a great point when he asked her if she could forgive and trust him. If this shit didn't get straightened out she was either going to leave or make sure Chibs couldn't let his feelings cloud his judgment anymore.

* * *

Happy was still buzzing by the time he got home. He made sure he was one of the last ones at the reservation so he could keep an eye on everything. He also hoped he could sober up a bit before he drove home. He pulled into the driveway and heard a bike heading his way. He hoped it was Riley and not someone telling him she had killed someone. He leaned on his bike and waited for the blonde to pull in. She shut her bike off and climbed off.

"Get things figured out?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Everyone still alive?"

"I haven't killed anyone yet."

"Chibs?"

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"No. I threatened him. Told him to get his head straight or I'd either leave or take the club from him."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"You mean what you said?"

"I think so. Probably should have waited though. I'm pretty pissed and I've been drinking all night."

Happy walked towards Riley and picked her up, cradling her in her arms. He was smiling as she laughed out.

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying my bride in the doorway. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"I guess but try not to fell. You're pretty buzzed."

Happy carried her in the door and set her down. He helped steady her from falling. He wasn't sure if it was due to her own alcohol consumption or the fact that he didn't set her down right. He wrapped his arm around her waist and felt her hands rest on his chest. He smiled down at her.

"Do I get to look forward to this kind of affection all the time?"

Even buzzed Happy could tell she was being sarcastic. He understood though. He wasn't a very affectionate person and other than their recent cuddling he had never really been physically affectionate towards anyone.

"That what you want?"

"Hap, I don't expect anything from you."

"And I don't expect anything from you either."

"Let's go to bed, Hap. We have to head out tomorrow morning."

"Alright."

Hap tossed her up over his shoulder, heading towards the bedroom. He set her down on the bed and went into the bathroom. When he came out, she was wearing one of his t-shirts and laying on top of the blankets.

"I'm gonna need to get more t-shirts if you're gonna wear them to bed all the time."

"Oh quit complaining. They're all white t-shirts."

Happy chuckled and climbed into bed, pulling her close to him. He hadn't realized how tired he was until his head hit the pillow.

"Hap?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry I killed three people at our wedding today."

"Really? Seemed like the perfect wedding."

"You're so fucked up."

"Hey, I'm not the one who hid two guns in my wedding dress and killed three Russians without even getting any blood on myself."

"Guess you have a point there."

"How did you even hide those guns anyway?"

"I can't give you all of my secrets."

"In sickness and in health, but not your gun stashing secrets. I see how it is."

Riley laughed and it sounded care free. He loved hearing her laugh and even more so loved that she sounded happy. She laughed often but it didn't always mean the same thing. He wrapped his arms around her and let sleep take his thoughts away.

* * *

_Riley opened her eyes to see the night sky. She didn't know why she was in this dream, it was usually reserved to when she was knocked out. Normally she would look to her right and see Sarah looking at her._

_"_ _Not going to look at me this time?"_

_"_ _Why am I here?"_

_"_ _I don't know. You're the one dreaming of me."_

_"_ _Normally it's when I'm either almost dead or knock out."_

_"_ _I know. So why are you here then?"_

_"_ _I thought you knew all the answers."_

_She turned and looked at Sarah. Always so beautiful. She seemed paler than normal and it made Riley frown._

_"_ _What's wrong?"_

_"_ _You look paler. Sick almost."_

_"_ _Maybe this is your brain telling you that I'm gone. Almost like I'm fading."_

_"_ _That's shitty."_

_Riley looked back up at the sky not wanting to think about Sarah fading away._

_"_ _So, Happy."_

_"_ _Yeah."_

_"_ _You okay with that?"_

_"_ _Yeah, actually. Chibs and I are done. I had to get married. Happy and I just get each other."_

_"_ _Seems that way to me. Are you two actually together?"_

_"_ _No. I mean, yes? I don't know."_

_"_ _Maybe that's why you're dreaming of me. Maybe it wasn't being knocked out that caused me to come to you."_

_"_ _Maybe it was me being unsure of where I'm going."_

_Riley kept staring at the stars. Normally she would pull Sarah to her and hold her as long as possible. She found herself not wanting that for the first time in years._

_"_ _You're finally letting go."_

_Riley looked over to Sarah. She had a soft sad smile on her face and it made Rileys heart hurt._

_"_ _I'm sorry."_

_"_ _I'm not. I always thought Chibs would be your future, but maybe Happy is the one to pull you out of all of this."_

_"_ _Maybe. I do miss you though."_

_"_ _That's okay. You can miss me, just don't let life pass you by. You deserve to be happy."_

_"_ _I love you, Sarah."_

_"_ _I love you, Riley."_

* * *

Riley opened her eyes and waited for the sadness to wash over her. After a few minutes, she realized that it wasn't coming. She would always miss Sarah, but something had changed. She looked over at her husband and realized that she was where she needed to be.

Would it be a perfect relationship? Probably not. She wasn't even sure what they were other than what the state legally said they were. They had never even had sex without being drunk. She had no idea where all of it was going.

One thing she did know, even if it was only for that moment, she was happy. She was happy to be curled up in bed knowing that she was safe and he cared about her. There were no expectations, so there were no chances for her heart to be broken.

She thought maybe that was an easy way out for her. She was able to have the commitment without the heartache. She and Happy were equals both inside the club and out. They knew how to have fun together and there were no judgments. She could say what she wanted to say and do what she wanted to do. She didn't feel held back like she had with Chibs.

Sure, she loved Chibs but it always seemed forced. There was a lot of passion behind their relationship, but a lot of heartache too. She couldn't worry about all of that anymore.

What she needed to worry about was getting the honeymoon out of the way and figuring out how to fix all the shit. She knew that Chibs needed to get his head straight but her father needed to die as well. The club had gotten free of the IRA before, and this time would be no different.

She felt Happy stir in his sleep and she looked at his peaceful face realizing that there was no one else she would rather help her in her plans to free the club of the hold that was on it. She wasn't sure if she would make it out alive, but she was sure she would do everything she could to protect those she loved.

Her father would die, if it was the last thing she ever did


End file.
